Webinars
‘Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Amendment Act 2022’
Guest Speaker: Nida Usman Chaudhary
VLA were pleased to conduct a webinar on Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Amendment Act 2022 with the brilliant Nida Usman Chaudhary, Founder of Women in Law Initiative. Nida shared her insights on the gaps in the 2010 Act including details of high profile cases and landmark judgments which led to the passing of the 2022 Act. She discussed the additions to the definitions of: harassment, complainant, employee & employer, workplace, hostile environment & the introduction of child sensitive procedures. Nida provided her recommendations to the Senate Standing Committee for the 2022 Act. In a nutshell here is what she recommended: 1) A child sensitive lens where minors are involved 2) 'Courts' & not 'courtrooms' as workplace 3) Suspension or cancellation of professional license as one of the penalty 4) Harassment as a result of gender discriminatory behaviour which may or may not be sexual in nature 5) Former employees able to bring proceedings 6) Parent/Guardian as a complainant where victim is a minor 7) Child sensitive procedures to be adopted when victim is minor.
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Sunday, 30 January 2022
‘Company Formation & Registration in Pakistan’
Guest Speaker: Faiza Yousaf
VLA were happy to have Ms Faiza Yousaf as our guest speaker for our webinar on 'Company Formation & Registration in Pakistan'. Over the past few months, we have received a number of queries regarding the process of setting up a company/ business in Pakistan. Laypersons are unaware of the registration process via the SECP website and other technicalities. Faiza took us through: the salient features of the Companies Act 2017, the types of companies & entities that exist, the role of the SECP, the process of forming and registering a company with the SECP via their online portal, the various documents required during this process, the formalities and legalities including the Memorandum of Association & Articles of Association. This was a highly informative session and we thank Faiza for brilliantly taking us through the various steps. For more information you can contact us on: query@vla.com.pk and we will be happy to assist you!
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Sunday, 23 January 2022
‘Human Trafficking: Red Flags’
Guest Speaker:Amy Cuff
We had a wonderful guest speaker from the UK for our webinar on 'Human Trafficking: Red Flags'. Amy Cuff, Project Manager at the Aman Safety Campaign (Stop the Traffik, UK) shed light on the various components of human trafficking; the methods used by traffickers to manipulate and control victims; how can you or I spot whether one may be a potential trafficking victim; what are the red flags for sexual exploitation and labour exploitation; what are some of the important helplines. I feel privileged to work as a volunteer for the Aman Safety Campaign translating materials in Urdu for victims of trafficking from Pakistan in Greece and Turkey. Amy is an absolutely awe-inspiring and extraordinary professional and a beautiful person! I am blessed to have her as a mentor <3
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Monday, 1 November 2021
‘Mental Health at the Workplace’
Guest Speaker: Shanta Maharaj-Singh and Daisy Doardo
VLA was delighted to host a webinar on 'Mental Health at the Workplace' with excellent guest speakers: Shanta Maharaj-Singh and Daisy Doardo. Both Shanta & Daisy shared their personal and professional experiences with mental health issues at workplaces both in South Africa & in the UK and put forward their recommendations. During the webinar, we looked at: • The sort of challenges that employees face at the workplace which may lead to/ or aggravate their mental health issues; • How should organisations provide a platform to employees to discuss their mental health issues; the benefits of having counsellors on board or access to counselling websites; • The benefits of making mental health awareness sessions mandatory for the management as well as for employees; • The 'Machiavellian' style of management leadership and how that contributes to a toxic work environment resulting in employees' mental health deterioration; sexual harassment and its repercussions. • The prevalence of stigma and how the management should create an open culture to discuss and share mental health experiences in order to reduce the eliminate the stigma •Shanta emphasised the need for cultural sensitivity as well as a strong Code of Ethics that would keep leaders under check and balance At VLA, we represent victims of workplace harassment & cyber harassment. We also have a psychiatrist as part of our team. If you have any queries please email us at: queries@vla.com.pk
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Friday, 22 October 2021
‘An Introduction to “Kasur Hamara Hai”. A Discussion on Child Protection Laws’
Guest Speaker: Shimaila Matri Dawood
The issue of children's rights has been an area of serious concern in Pakistan especially since the Zainab tragedy and several others that have followed since then. VLA conducted a webinar with award-winning journalist, Shimaila Matri Dawood who runs a Citizens Advocacy group called Kasur Hamara Hai! whereby she promotes children's rights, raises issues regarding child labour exploitation, missing children and other pertinent matters. Shimaila discussed the current state of child rights in Pakistan and highlighted issues such as lack of nutrition, deprivation of education and other obstacles to the physical & social development of children in Pakistan. She shared some very important statistics which revealed the grim state of affairs. Furthermore, she spoke about the loopholes within the system which led to the passing of the Zainab Act and the role played by Kasur Hamara Hai in making recommendations to the government. She then discussed the Sindh Child Protection Authority Act of 2011 and the lack of implementation of the same. Shimaila also spoke of child marriages and the grievance mechanism of filing complaints to the Islamic council and other relevant bodies. Time & time again during the course of the webinar Shimaila emphasised the need for more advocacy groups and for citizens to collectively hold the government accountable to enforce measures to protect and assist children in need. Thank you for your brilliant insights Shimaila Matri Dawood
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Friday, 1 October 2021
‘Laws relating to Refugees & the Afghanistan Crisis’
Guest Speaker: Mohammad Amjad
VLA conducted a highly informative webinar with Mr Mohammed Amjad, Solicitor at Legal Rights Partnership, UK on 'Laws relating to Refugees & the Afghanistan Crisis'. Mr Amjad focused on the origins of International Humanitarian Law, the 1951 Refugee Convention, the role of the UNHCR, the various components of the definition of a 'Refugee' and the legal implications, the current situation in Afghanistan and the British government's Re-Settlement Scheme including the Home Office criteria including essential numbers. Furthermore Mr Amjad explained the asylum application process in great detail. An apt session given the present situation in Afghanistan.
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Saturday, 4 September 2021
‘Businesses & Human Rights’
Guest Speaker: Shakeel A. Mian
VLA conducted a highly informative and enlightening webinar with an experienced and brilliant lawyer, Shakeel A Mian, Managing Partner at Prudential Middle East Legal Consultants on 'Businesses & Human Rights'. The webinar focused on the key theme of 'Corporate Social Responsibility' that is the relationship between businesses and human rights in accordance with the 10 Principles laid down by the UN Global Compact. Mr Shakeel discussed the background to UN Conventions and the birth of the UN Global Compact; the significance of Human Rights due diligence reports and the legal ramifications of not complying with them. Mr Shakeel then eloquently explained all 10 Principles namely: Human Rights, Labour, Anti-Corruption and the Environment and how are organisations in the UAE and globally complying successfully with these principles. The UN Global Compact Principles are as follows: Principle 1: Businesses should support and respect the protection of internationally proclaimed human rights; Principle 2: Make sure that they are not complicit in human rights abuses Principle 3: Businesses should uphold the freedom of association and the effective recognition of the right to collective bargaining; Principle 4: The elimination of all forms of forced and compulsory labour; Principle 5: The effective abolition of child labour; Principle 6: The elimination of discrimination in respect of employment and occupation; Principle 7: Businesses should support a precautionary approach to environmental challenges; Principle 8: : Undertake initiatives to promote greater environmental responsibility; Principle 9: Encourage the development and diffusion of environmentally friendly technologies Principle 10: Businesses should work against corruption in all its forms, including extortion and bribery
Posted by VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory on Saturday, 28 August 2021
‘Adoption under Islamic Laws’
Guest Speaker: Barrister Ummar Ziauddin
An excellent session with Barrister Ummar Ziauddin on 'Adoption Laws under Islam'. Unfortunately we experienced a technical glitch due to which we were unable to present our webinar live. However if you have any questions kindly post them in the comments section and we shall address your queries. During the session we focused on the distinction between the Western concepts of adoption and the Islamic perspective; the right of inheritance and gift deed; the identity of the adopted child under Islam; the relevant provisions of the Guardians & Wards Act 1890 and procedure of adoption under the same.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا پیر، 31 مئی، 2021
‘Anti Rape Ordinance 2020’
Guest Speaker: Nida Usman Chaudhary
We had a very enlightening session with an esteemed guest speaker Nida Usman Chaudhary on the Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020. Nida discussed the background in the increase in sexual violence cases; social stigma & blaming the victim; obstacles at the police station; the purpose of the Special Courts; the various definitions and the advantages of the Anti-Rape Crisis Cells.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا جمعرات، 3 جون، 2021
‘Prison Reform in Pakistan’
Guest Speaker: Advocate Hamza Haider
There are many challenges within the criminal justice system in Pakistan. One major concern being the state of prisons and the lack of rights available to prisoners. Do these prisoners have any right to an appeal? Do they have a right to consult a counselor or psychiatrist? Is their state of mind ever even diagnosed? Pakistani jails weep with tales of injustice and torture. Amnesty International drafted a report recently on the issue of overcrowding within jails and how that was exacerbated due to Covid-19. The unsanitary state of prisons in Pakistan including abuse against prisoners has also been an area of major concern both nationally as well as internationally. The Sindh Prisons & Corrections Services Act 2019 has offered hope to the inmates with provisions on their well-being and other rights. Join Hamza Haider, an extremely humane and public-spirited criminal lawyer (and Head of Chambers at HH Law Chambers, Lahore) for an interesting discussion on prison reforms and the conditions of inmates. Hamza offers us his first hand insights into what he has witnessed in Pakistani prisons.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا پیر، 7 جون، 2021
‘The Scope of Arbitration in Pakistan’
Guest Speaker: Counsel & Arbitrator, Syed Mustafa Mahdi
We were pleased to have Counsel & Arbitrator Syed Mustafa Mahdi with us today to enlighten our viewers on the intricacies of International Arbitration. Mr Mahdi shed light on some significant areas such as the rise in arbitration remote hearings post Covid-19; the benefits of the process over litigation; the skills required to practice arbitration; the main legislative framework governing arbitration hearings and the individual set of rules under the specific Arbitration courts such as LCIA; the distinction between arbitration and mediation and finally the positive reforms in this particular field within Pakistan in the coming years.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا جمعرات، 10 جون، 2021
‘Professional Code of Conduct for Lawyers’
Guest Speakers: Sana Pirzada and Mahnoor Ahmed
The Pakistani legal field has time and time again seen violations of professional ethics and conduct. We have witnesses an abuse of authority; advocates being in contempt of court, treating their own clients with disrespect, taking bribes inter alia. Mahnoor Ahmed and I have discussed the salient features of the Legal Practitioners and Bar Council Rules of 1976. We look at the Advocate's duty to the court, to the client, to other advocates and to the public in general. We have highlighted our own recommendations during the course of the webinar as to the sort of reforms that need to be implemented in the Pakistani legal field and the various conducts that lawyers should adopt and the behaviours and attitudes they should refrain from which are a blatant breach of professional ethics.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا پیر، 14 جون، 2021
‘An Introduction to Roshni Helpline’
Guest Speaker: Mr Muhammad Ali, Founder of Roshni
Missing children and laws relating to offences against the child are tragically enough common themes in this day and age. We had a very thorough and informative webinar with the founder and Executive Director of Roshni Helpine, an NGO dedicated to the cause of missing children. Mr Muhammad Ali explained the background behind establishing the NGO; the objectives and strategies; the network that they have now created within communities to track down missing children; key statistics; case-studies; the impact they've had on legislation relating to offences against children; the MoU they have signed with the police and police cooperation in this area. Mr Ali also went on to explain the various reasons/ motives behind the kidnappings, the age brackets of children; the activities of the beggar mafia. In order to report a missing child Roshni have an exclusive helpline 1138 as well as an app called Bacha Finder which is available on Google Play. Furthermore Mr Ali also explained Roshni's contribution and efforts that led to the Zainab Alert and Response Act of 2019. Registering the case of a missing child is now a cognisable offence as a result of their endeavours. Apart from their efforts towards missing children, Roshni also has a helpline for gender based violence survivors, they provide trainings to the police and carry out child safety awareness sessions as well as offering psychological support.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا جمعرات، 17 جون، 2021
‘Rise in Cyber Crimes in Pakistan’
Guest Speaker: Advocate Adam Jabbar
Since the onset of Covid-19 there has been a huge surge in cyber crimes internationally as well as in Pakistan. Our esteemed guest speaker, Advocate Adam Jabbar a cyber crimes expert based in Islamabad spoke in length about the various categories of cyber crimes that have risen and the reasons behind this; furthermore he discussed the various provisions of the Prevention of Electronics Crimes Act 2016 and to what extent has it proven to be successful and what are its shortcomings; we also spoke about the FIA complaint mechanism procedure and issues within the FIA zonal offices and improvements required. Furthermore we looked at some of the key statistics outlined by the Digital Rights Foundation and lastly we focused on what more should the government do. We concluded the session with advice for laypersons who know little or nothing about the online threats and the measures every individual can adopt to safeguard their personal information and privacy online.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا بدھ، 23 جون، 2021
‘The Impact of the Modern Slavery Act 2015 on UK businesses’
Guest Speaker: Phil Brewer, Director of Intelligence at Stop the Traffik, UK
Human Trafficking and Modern Slavery are terms used to define various forms of exploitation including but not limited to: sexual and labour exploitation, organ harvesting, securing services via coercion and deception and securing services from children and other vulnerable persons. We had a brilliant guest speaker from the UK, Phil Brewer who is presently Director of Intelligence at STOP THE TRAFFIK. Phil was kind enough to offer his insights into the significance of the Modern Slavery Act 2015; the purpose behind the Act; the penalties; the protections that it offers to victims and survivors; the success of the Independent Anti Slavery Commissioner and the importance of s.54 transparency in supply chain statements for organisations. Phil has very eloquently and succinctly explained each segment of the Act - the positive developments that have been implemented as well as highlighting the gaps that still exist. If you have any questions for Phil you can leave them in the comments section below. Alternatively if you want to know more about human trafficking you can visit www.stopthetraffik.org
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا جمعرات، 24 جون، 2021
‘Understanding Victims of Domestic Violence’
Guest Speaker: Psychologist Shanta Maharaj-Singh
VLA held a highly informative webinar on the psychological and legal dimensions of Domestic Violence with esteemed guest speaker, Shanta Maharaj-Singh an experienced Mental Health Therapist from South Africa. Shanta shared some very interesting examples about cases she had personally dealt with and explored the various branches of domestic violence that usually remain unchartered. We looked at the causes of increase in intimate partner violence post-Covid19; the physical and psychological strands of domestic violence; why do partners become abusive; the barriers that prevents a victim from reporting abuse; the red flags - identifying an abuser; the myths behind 'narcissistic abuse'; the physical & mental consequences of domestic violence; the impact on children and their academic progression & male victims of domestic violence. We also looked at the key provisions of the Domestic Violence Prevention & Protection Act (Sindh) 2013 as well as briefly narrating the famous British landmark case of R v Ahluwalia. The Helpline in Pakistan for reporting domestic violence is 1099 and the app is available to download from Google Play. We also demonstrated the universal hand gesture that signifies domestic violence.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا پیر، 5 جولائی، 2021
‘The English Criminal Justice System – the case of R v Medouini & Kouider’
Guest Speaker: District Crown Prosecutor at Crown Prosecution Service, Mutahir Ahmed
We were absolutely honoured to have Mr Mutahir Ahmed, District Crown Prosecutor at the Crown Prosecution Service as our guest speaker for this controversial yet fascinating webinar on the English Criminal Justice system with reference to the 2018 trial of Ouissem Medouni and Sabrina Kouider at the Old Bailey. Mutahir was one of the solicitors representing the defendant Sabrina Kouider and his insights therefore were very informative providing a three dimensional picture of the case. Moreover, he eloquently explained the various stages of the process namely: the investigations that led to the arrests of the defendants; the process at the police station culminating with the defendants being charged; the initial proceedings at court; the trial at the Old Bailey; the evidence - the unraveling of the horrific facts of the case with a discussion on the brutal recordings; mitigating factors such as Sabrina Kouider's mental illness; Justice Nicholas Hilliard's views on the crimes of the defendants; the aggravating factors; sentencing; and the dismissal of the appeal at the Court of Appeal. Throughout the webinar, Mutahir offered his extraordinary insights as to the technicalities and intricacies of the criminal justice system as well as his own opinions on the case.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا جمعہ، 16 جولائی، 2021
‘Legal Literacy & Continuing Professional Development’
Guest Speaker: Barrister Taimur Malik
VLA held a very informative webinar on 'Legal Literacy & Continuing Professional Development' with esteemed Barrister, Taimur Malik (Partner at Clyde & Co). Taimur highlighted the significance of: legal awareness & literacy in Pakistan both amongst the public as well legal professionals; the importance of ongoing professional development for the judiciary & the impact & benefits of CPD on the justice system. Some of the key takeaways from the webinar were that: legal education/ civics education in schools & colleges should be mandatory; laws should be more accessible to the general public; they should be available in Urdu and other local languages; apart from written laws - short videos should be made to explain complex legal jargon in simple terms; the various training programmes that are already mandatory for legal professionals in the UAE (including DIFC); judges being senior most need to change their rigid mindsets and evolve with the changing laws and enhance their skills; media organisations including newspapers ought to have a separate section on 'Laws' publishing legal & judicial updates; Bar Councils should make some CPD courses mandatory for legal professionals & finally the Judicial Academies should continue with their training programmes for judges. It is essential for legal professionals to constantly keep researching a variety of laws; to write articles or record short videos to make laypersons aware of these laws. In a post-Covid world, the internet has provided ample opportunity to easily undertake courses via edx and coursera to name a few providers. Members of the judiciary as well as the legal fraternity should make use of the online resources for personal & professional development.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا اتوار، 15 اگست، 2021
‘An Insight into Policing: UK & Pakistan’
Guest Speaker: Advocate Fawad Muslim
As part of our research into criminal justice issues, VLA were pleased to interview Advocate Fawad Muslim, an ex Metropolitan Police officer. Fawad has over fifteen years of experience in the UK police force and is presently the Director of Legal Affairs at Earthlink LLP. He very eloquently narrated: what it was like working for the police and his primary tasks; the varieties of criminal activity he encountered in his line of work; common traits in suspects particularly drug abuse; the relationship between the police and the Crown Prosecution Service. Most importantly Fawad emphasised how important it was to console vulnerable victims - to ensure that the family liaison officer or victim support unit would assist the victims. He defined vulnerable victims as: the mentally challenged, victims of serious sexual assaults, elderly individuals & children. Fawad also pointed out the weaknesses within the Pakistani police force and suggested the following reforms: (a) training of First Aid (including Mental Health First Aid) should be mandatory for the police (b) they need to be more gender sensitive especially in the wake of the recent GBV cases that have taken place in Pakistan and lastly (c) to deal with empathy and compassion with victims of serious crimes as well as to deal with suspects humanely.
اس پر VLA - Virtual Legal Advisory نے شائع کیا پیر، 16 اگست، 2021