Pakistan - 26 November 2021 - Can you describe yourself in a couple of sentences? My name is Faiza Shahzad, and I'm a Sub-Inspector working for the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), AHD in Lahore. I'm a very positive and social person.
What did you want to do when you were younger? When I was young, I wanted to become an interior designer and work in the fashion sector.
Who has inspired you to do the work you do? I joined the FIA because I was inspired by my husband, Martyr Shahzad Yunis Shaheed and his work as a member of the FIA.
Can you tell us more about him and why he was your source of inspiration? My late husband was someone who always wanted to help people and give back. He was knowledgeable and did a lot of work in the FIA. Following his death, I joined the FIA.
Are people surprised when you say that you work in law enforcement? Yes. Some people are perplexed because they think that only men should be working in law enforcement, and they wonder why I joined this field of work. But then again, other people are really appreciative and say that it's excellent work.
What are the main challenges for the women working in the criminal justice sector in Pakistan? People just don't have the mindset to accept women in this field. Then again, some are very appreciative and say that more women should work in law enforcement. From what I can see, the biggest challenge is the mindset and perceptions people have about women working as frontline officers. That said, we also still face challenges at work. There are no separate rooms or facilities for women, and we are not provided with vans when we do raids. These are some of the issues we face.
What are your main takeaways from the UNODC training session you just participated in? Before attending UNODC training, I knew little about human trafficking and migrant smuggling. Now, following the training by UNODC, I have a much better understanding of the crimes and what I can do to tackle them through my work.
Does this training help you in developing the skills which you apply in your daily work? Definitely yes.
What inspired you the most from the training offered by UNODC? Learning a lot more about specialized investigation techniques has really inspired me. We didn't have a lot of guidance on this before, and now I feel what I've been taught will help me deal with the challenges we face when investigating trafficking or smuggling cases
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The Global Action against Trafficking in Persons and the Smuggling of Migrants – Asia and the Middle East (GLO.ACT-Asia and the Middle East) is a four-year (2018-2022), €12 million joint initiative by the European Union (EU) and the United Nations Office on Drugs and Crime (UNODC) being implemented in partnership with the International Organization for Migration (IOM) in up to five countries: Islamic Republic of Afghanistan (Afghanistan), Islamic Republic of Iran (I.R. of Iran), Republic of Iraq (Iraq), Islamic Republic of Pakistan (Pakistan).
The project builds on a global community of practice set in motion in GLO.ACT 2015-2019 and assists governmental authorities and civil society organizations in targeted, innovative, and demand-driven interventions: sustaining effective strategy and policy development, legislative review and harmonization, capability development, and regional and trans-regional cooperation. The project also provides direct assistance to victims of human trafficking and vulnerable migrants through the strengthening of identification, referral, and protection mechanisms.
The project is funded by the European Union.
For more information, please contact:
Shahida Gillani, National Project Officer
Email: Shahida.gillani@un.org
For more information, please visit:
https://www.unodc.org/unodc/en/human-trafficking/glo-act2/index.html
Email: glo.act@un.org
Twitter: @glo_act