The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) implemented a comprehensive awareness campaign in Gujranwala to address widespread misunderstandings of Pakistan\u2019s blasphemy laws, emerging risks of cyber blasphemy, and the psychological toll borne by affected communities. Through a multi-layered approach\u2014community seminars, student-focused sessions, interactive dialogues, lobbying meetings, and the distribution of IEC materials\u2014the campaign empowered minorities and wider society with knowledge, resilience, and practical safety tools.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
The program was built around three interlinked pillars:<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Orientation and Preparations<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Before rolling out field activities, NCJP held an orientation meeting with the Gujranwala team. The session included a project briefing, transfer of IEC materials (posters, flyers, and the research publication \u201cBeyond the Accusation: Uncovering the Lasting Impact of Blasphemy Cases\u201d<\/em>), and assignment of roles and responsibilities. This preparatory step ensured consistent messaging and structured delivery throughout the campaign.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Outreach Activities and Participation<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n 1. Parish and Community Seminars<\/strong> 2. Student Sessions in Schools<\/strong> 3. Lobbying Meetings<\/strong> 4. Cultural Carnivals<\/strong> 5. Interactive Dialogues<\/strong> IEC Material Development and Dissemination<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n A strong component of the campaign was the creation and distribution of Information, Education, and Communication (IEC) material to ensure sustainability and wide accessibility.<\/p>\n\n\n\n These materials used simple language and culturally relevant illustrations to ensure accessibility, especially for youth and grassroots communities.<\/p>\n\n\n\n Overall Reach and Beneficiaries<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The combined project activities reflect a wide and inclusive outreach:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Total Direct Outreach:<\/strong> ~19,200 individuals<\/p>\n\n\n\n Impact<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n The campaign produced several significant outcomes:<\/p>\n\n\n\n Conclusion<\/strong><\/p>\n\n\n\n Through a carefully planned combination of IEC materials, school and parish sessions, lobbying, carnivals, and dialogues, NCJP reached nearly 20,000 people<\/strong> in Gujranwala with critical knowledge on blasphemy laws, cyber safety, and trauma recovery. The project not only raised awareness but also fostered practical changes in digital behavior, renewed commitment to peacebuilding, and stronger community resilience.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" The National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP) implemented a comprehensive awareness campaign in Gujranwala to address widespread misunderstandings of Pakistan\u2019s blasphemy laws, emerging risks of cyber blasphemy, and the…<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-1797","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/comments?post=1797"}],"version-history":[{"count":1,"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":1798,"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/posts\/1797\/revisions\/1798"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/media?parent=1797"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/categories?post=1797"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/ccjp-pk.com\/index.php\/wp-json\/wp\/v2\/tags?post=1797"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}
NCJP organized 25 parish-based seminars<\/strong> across Gujranwala in churches and community halls, reaching over 1,500 participants<\/strong> including parents, catechists, women, youth, and parish leaders. Sessions were led by diocesan coordinator, legal experts, and NCJP\u2019s National Director, Fr. Bernard Emmanuel. Participants were introduced to blasphemy-related laws with practical examples, and many expressed a newfound confidence in navigating sensitive situations both offline and online.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Recognizing the vulnerability and influence of youth in the digital sphere, NCJP conducted seminars in schools such as St. Joseph High School (Hafizabad), St. Mary\u2019s School (Chan Da Qila), St. Francis High School (Francisabad), and New Hope School (Saleem Colony). These sessions equipped 1,500+ students and teachers<\/strong> with awareness of religious sensitivities, digital ethics, and legal implications of online speech. Students reported practical behavioral changes, such as reviewing risky forwarded content, and several schools revived peace clubs to foster interfaith respect and dialogue.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
NCJP organized 50 lobby meetings<\/strong> with parish leaders, educators, and local officials. Around 500 stakeholders<\/strong> engaged in discussions on integrating legal awareness and psychosocial support within existing school and parish structures. These meetings emphasized proactive community preparedness rather than reactive responses, ensuring sustainability of awareness beyond the project\u2019s timeline.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
To reach a broader population and use creative platforms for awareness, NCJP conducted 4 cultural carnivals<\/strong> with active participation of 4,200 students and teachers (including 200 educators and principals)<\/strong>. These events blended art, culture, and awareness, enabling young people to internalize legal and psychosocial concepts in a participatory environment.<\/p>\n\n\n\n
Six structured dialogues were held with 200\u2013400 participants<\/strong>, including human rights defenders, religious representatives, youth leaders, political figures, government departments, and civil society organizations. These dialogues created a bridge between communities and formal institutions, fostering joint strategies for legal clarity, trauma care, and interfaith harmony.<\/p>\n\n\n\n\n
Activity Type<\/strong><\/td> Number of Activities<\/strong><\/td> Participants \/ Beneficiaries<\/strong><\/td><\/tr><\/thead> Flyers<\/td> 1 (4,000 distributed)<\/td> ~6,000 beneficiaries<\/td><\/tr> Posters<\/td> 1 (2,500 distributed)<\/td> ~4,000 beneficiaries<\/td><\/tr> Research Material<\/td> 1<\/td> ~3,000 readers<\/td><\/tr> Parish Seminars<\/td> 25<\/td> 1,500 participants<\/td><\/tr> Lobby Meetings<\/td> 50<\/td> 500 stakeholders<\/td><\/tr> Cultural Carnivals<\/td> 4<\/td> 4,200 students & teachers<\/td><\/tr> Interactive Dialogues<\/td> 6<\/td> 200\u2013400 stakeholders<\/td><\/tr><\/tbody><\/table><\/figure>\n\n\n\n \n