Tasneem Ahmar, the director of Uks, shared her experience and pointed out that initially the mothers' were not willing to accept the negative traits or habits of their sons or the fact that they were not providing a nourishing environment for them. PHOTO: COURTESY UKS
KARACHI: Naseem's son was involved in a gang rape when he was 14 years old. His mother blames her lack of attention in his upbringing for turning him into a rapist. It's been 10 years since he went jail and Naseem is a much stronger woman now. She did not want her other son to turn out like the first so she gave him her time and affection. Today, he is a trained chef and a musician.
Naseem was found in the midst of women who were a part of an extensive programme called 'Training of trainers' by Uks Research Centre and Sisters against Violent Extremism (SAVE) along with the Salvation Army in May 2014 in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. SAVE is the first female counterterrorism platform striving to highlight the role that women play in the security and stability from local community to the international stage. With 10 sessions in three months, five mothers have been trained and they have gone on to train 20 to 25 mothers respectively in their communities. The first Mother's School Project was held in Iqbal Town, Chaklala, Qasimabad, Sagri in Islamabad and Rawalpindi. The programme targets mothers who have sons between 12 to 24 years of age and trains them to communicate better and identify changes in their behavior and talk to them accordingly. The programme also works as an early warning and detection system for extremism.
"Just giving birth to a child is not enough," said Rubina, a mother and trainer. "Teaching them how to live their life, making them good human beings and focusing on their upbringing is every mother's responsibility."
A video recording of these mothers were shown at the annual diary launch of Uks.
Another mother shared her dilemma in the recording. Her 19-year-old son was murdered because of getting involved with 'the wrong company'. "If I had kept an eye on my son, this could have been avoided," she said.
Tasneem Ahmar, the director of Uks, shared her experience and pointed out that initially the mothers' were not willing to accept the negative traits or habits of their sons or the fact that they were not providing a nourishing environment for them. "The relationship of parents with their sons is reflected in their dealings with different people in society," she said. "The peace in one's home is closely related to the peace in the society," said another mother.
They plan to start these training sessions in Karachi for mothers to counter terrorism and help them in upbringing up their sons.
Published in The Express Tribune, January 12th, 2015.
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