Bedari had a long journey behind it when it saw the dawn of year 2009. Bedari’s journey had started in 1991, when a group of young professionals established it as a support group for Pakistani women facing violence. Their commitment and hard-work resulted in a landmark community conference on violence against women, and establishment of Pakistan’s first crisis center for women survivors of violence. Bedari was registered in 1992. Since then, there was no looking back.

Bedari continued to grow with the passage of time while more and more volunteers joined in. On average, it has supported over 1000 women and girl survivors of violence, annually. The support included psychological counseling, free legal aid and referral to other services such as medical and shelter homes.

It has expanded its scope geographically; Bedari has been providing direct support to women in Chakwal, Rawalpindi and Islamabad. Through its volunteers, it has provided support to women in other districts including Bhakkar, Multan, Khanewal, Sialkot, Muzaffarabad, Mardan, and Peshawar.

Bedari not only stepped out of its geographic boundaries, but also touched subjects other than violence against women. Earlier it focused on providing support to women who had already faced violence and needed support for their rehabilitation. While continuing with its support for violence survivors, Bedari ventured out to identify and obliterate the causes of violence against women.

Bedari continued with its efforts for the promotion and protection of women’s and girls’ rights on its own, but also made alliances with other organizations that were working on the similar issues. It helped in strengthening the voice for change and raising the demand for a better and safer world for women and girls in particular and for the society as whole in general.
Another important initiative was establishing a Helpline on HIV & AIDS. It is a toll-free helpline that provides authentic information about HIV & AIDS to callers with respect and confidentiality.

For further information, please visit www.bedari.org.pk