Rubina Fareed

Rubina Fareed is a Pakistani obstetrician-gynaecologist and child rights activist based in Islamabad. She served as the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) member of the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) from 2020 to 2023. The commission is a statutory body established under the National Commission on the Rights of Child Act, 2017 to monitor and promote the protection of children's rights in Pakistan.

Alongside more than four decades of medical practice, she has been involved in civil society initiatives focusing on women's health, child protection, disability rights, and social welfare.

She received the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal in 2006, presented by the Prime Minister of Pakistan, and the National Human Rights Award in 2016, presented by the President of Pakistan.

Education

Rubina Fareed completed her MBBS degree at Khyber Medical College, University of Peshawar in 1976. She later undertook further professional training, including a Diploma in Management of Obstetric Emergencies and Trauma in the United Kingdom in 2007 and advanced training in assisted reproductive techniques through the American Society for Reproductive Medicine (ASRM) in the United States in 2008. She holds a Diploma in Nutrition from the University of Peshawar (2010).

In 2022, she completed three certified online courses: Child Protection at Harvard University, International Women's Health and Human Rights at Stanford University, and Disability Awareness and Support at the University of Pittsburgh.

Medical career

Fareed has practised as an obstetrician and gynaecologist since 1980 at Dr. Rubina's Clinic, a private practice in Islamabad providing obstetric, gynaecological, and paediatric services. She also established a centre offering assisted reproductive services in collaboration with international partners.

In 2016, she served as a trainer for Pakistan under a United States Agency for International Development (USAID)-funded Community Midwifery Programme. In this role she worked with a core training group responsible for equipping community midwives to identify high-risk pregnancies, apply evidence-based guidelines for home deliveries, and manage post-delivery complications.

She has delivered invited lectures on maternal health topics including breast cancer, osteoporosis in postmenopausal women, hypertension, and diabetes at public forums.

National Commission on the Rights of Child (2020–2023)

The National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) was formally constituted on 28 February 2020 under the National Commission on the Rights of Child Act, 2017 as an independent statutory body. The commission consists of a chairperson and seven members — one from each of the four provinces, one from the Islamabad Capital Territory, and two child members.

Dr. Fareed was notified as the ICT member upon the commission's first constitution. She attended commission meetings throughout the first term, including the third commission meeting in December 2021 at which the commission reviewed laws and policies relating to child rights and received updates on progress since the previous session. She served on the NCRC's Executive Committee and Procurement Committee and took a lead role in its administrative and financial supervision. The first term of the commission was completed on 27 February 2023.

She participated in consultations concerning proposed amendments to the National Commission on the Rights of Child Act aimed at strengthening the commission's mandate.

During her tenure Dr. Fareed engaged the federal government on child protection and legal reforms, with a focus on the rights of girls. She held meetings with the Secretary of the Ministry of Education, the Director General of the Federal Directorate of Education, and the Director of PIERA on Child Safeguarding Guidelines for educational institutions and the implementation of the Free and Compulsory Education Act, 2012. She also worked with the Ministry of Labour on the implementation of the Employment of Children Act, 1991 regarding domestic labour in ICT, and provided advisory correspondence to the Chief Commissioner ICT on developing a rights-based strategy for street-connected children. She handled 23 child rights complaints during her tenure, covering corporal punishment, physical and [...] abuse, kidnapping, domestic violence, and denial of the right to education.

Following the end of her commission tenure, Dr. Fareed continued advocacy work as a civil society figure, calling in August 2024 for the establishment of dedicated child protection centres in the Islamabad Capital Territory.

Earthquake rehabilitation (2005–2006)

Following the 2005 Kashmir earthquake, Dr. Fareed served as Medical Director of the Melody Relief and Rehabilitation Centre for Earthquake Victims in Islamabad, a facility for paraplegic women and girls. The centre provided physical, psychological, and physiotherapy treatment for 100 patients. She organised seminars on post-traumatic stress disorder, physical therapy, rehabilitation, and skills development; approximately half of the patients were able to return home unaided. In recognition of this work, she received the Mohtarma Fatima Jinnah Gold Medal from the Ministry of Women Development, presented by the Prime Minister of Pakistan in 2006.

Family Protection and Rehabilitation Centre for Women (2007–present)

Since 2007 Dr. Fareed has served as Chairperson of the Caring Committee of the Family Protection and Rehabilitation Centre for Women (FPRCW), H-8, Islamabad, an institution run under the Ministry of Human Rights. The centre supports women who have experienced domestic violence, [...] assault, and related crimes, providing psychological counselling, legal aid, medical services, shelter, and vocational training. The National Human Rights Award presented by the President of Pakistan in 2016 and the Achievement Award from the Minister of Human Rights in 2018 were received in recognition of this sustained body of work.

National Cell for the Protection of Children / NIRM (2018–2020)

From 2018 to 2020 Dr. Fareed served as Chairperson of the Caring Committee of the National Cell for the Protection of Children (NCPC) under the Ministry of Human Rights, and as a Resource Person for Paraplegic Patients' Education at the National Institute for Physiotherapy & Rehabilitation Medicine (NIPRM), Islamabad, where she founded a school for paraplegic women and girls to provide access to life skills education.

All Pakistan Women Association (2016–2018)

Dr. Fareed served as a member of the All Pakistan Women's Association (APWA), conducting free medical camps twice weekly and providing free basic education and vocational skills programmes to support women's financial independence.

Light House School for Blind Girls, Abbottabad (2010–present)

Since 2010 Dr. Fareed has served as a Member of the Board of Directors of the Light House School for Blind Girls in Abbottabad, a school dedicated to girls who are blind from birth or acquired blindness. She has facilitated the provision of Braille books and teacher-training support.

Family Planning Association of Pakistan (1985–2010)

Dr. Fareed was a member of the Family Planning Association of Pakistan (now Rahnuma-FPAP) from 1985 and served as a resource person for women empowerment, youth volunteer training, and the Girl Child Programme until 2010. She also served as Chairperson of the Medical Committee of the Family Health Hospital run by FPAP from 1992 to 2002.

Earlier roles

Fareed served as Joint Secretary of the Pakistan Medical Association from 1992 to 1993 and as Secretary of the Diabetic Association of Pakistan from 1994 to 1996. She has also served on advisory committees of several welfare institutions in Islamabad, including Sanatzar (District Industrial Home), Kashana (Home for Destitute Girls), Affiat (Old People's Home), Gehwara (Home for Abandoned Children), and Bedari, an organisation supporting women in crisis. In 2012 she served on the President's Task Force on Human Development at the National Commission for Human Development (NCHD), and from 2015 to 2020 she acted as an advisor on street children at the Sultana Foundation in Islamabad.

Awards and recognition

See also

• Human rights in Pakistan

External links

• National Commission on the Rights of Child
• Child rights in Pakistan