Endorsements

ENDORSEMENTS

“More subtle than a tale of feudal gang rape or honor killing, this victim’s account of sly sexual harassment in the Pakistani office of a U.N. agency makes your blood boil all the same. Told in unflinching detail, it exposes the casual impunity of abusive men... where even professional women can be treated as sexual prey, silenced by shame and thwarted by bureaucratic indifference. Brava to Fouzia Saeed for breaking the silence.” Pamela Constable, journalist with the Washington Post and author of “Playing With Fire – Pakistan at War With Itself.” “As the former Minister for Women's Development and a consistent advocate for women’s rights in Pakistan, I consider this book to be... a compelling personal narrative.  Fouzia’s life story, the challenges she encountered, and the tremendous achievements she helped to secure on behalf of women in Pakistan should serve as an inspiration to sustain our shared push for progress - not just to Pakistanis but to women around the world.” The Honorable Sherry Rehman, Ambassador of Pakistan to the United States   In "Working with Sharks," Fouzia Saeed tells a riveting story of her fight against the sexual harassment she endured at work in Pakistan...  It is a lesson in how to effectively resist injustice. It is also an inspiring example of how an individual, using her political imagination and organizational talent, can turn a personal humiliation into a national movement for fundamental social change.  Fouzia's Saeed's story will resonate with Americans who remember Rosa Parks and understand how a single woman, standing her ground, can change history. Carl Gershman, President of the US National Endowment for Democracy since its founding in 1984. United States     The author of Taboo on sex workers now challenges the taboo at her own work at the UN. Wherever there is male dominance, sexual harassment is likely to take place, and the UN is no exception.  Only through such individual and collective struggles, gender equality can be achieved. Chizuko Ueno, Professor of Sociology at University of Tokyo, and a leading authority in women’s and gender issues in Japan.   In “Working With Sharks,” Fouzia Saeed ...gives us a riveting account of her courageous battle, along with several other women employees, against the United Nations system where the social and cultural morés are powerfully lined up against women who fight back. Her ambition to succeed in protecting human and women’s rights is demonstrated in her perseverance in pursuing a 10-year fight for national legislation against sexual harassment in Pakistan. William Milam, American diplomat, and Senior Policy Scholar at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars, Washington DC   "Fouzia has been a crusader for the rights of women for many decades now... Although a true account, this book reads like fiction. The case has been a precursor to a movement that led to the passage of the law against workplace sexual harassment in Pakistan and has positively influenced other South Asian countries." Imtiaz Ali, Film director from India