Lahore (Pakistan) (AFP)

"Women in Pakistan are really, really strong. We have a voice. We just don't have enough space to use it."

Kanwal Ahmed therefore launched a site, Soul sisters, where 260,000 "soul sisters" now confess, question and encourage each other.

"I wanted it to be the kind of place where women really open up without being afraid of being attacked, harassed or judged," said this young thirty-something with high cheekbones and long hair to AFP.

Sex, divorce and domestic violence are discussed freely on its closed network, inaccessible to men, on Facebook.

In Pakistan, a conservative Muslim country, gender inequalities are glaring and women struggle to talk about their personal problems.

Online harassment is rife there.

Former makeup artist, Kanwal Ahmed often collected confessions from future brides, lost and worried, in a country where arranged unions are the norm and strong women the exception.

It was then that she designed Soul Sisters Pakistan, launched in August 2013.

The small network spread, reaching 260,000 members.

Three to six million conversations take place there each month, according to Ahmed.

In 2018, Facebook selected her from 6,000 applicants as one of 115 “Community Leaders” using her platform to help others, awarding her a grant.

Because Soul Sisters is not just a forum.

Soulies offer emotional support to those in need.

Informal legal advice is also offered to users.

While 90% of Pakistani women have experienced some form of domestic violence, according to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, their country does not provide them with sufficient access to "health, police, justice and social assistance" services. ensure their safety and protection, says the UN.

- Shame and taboo -

Even the physiological functions of the female body are taboo, as suggested by a recent hashtag, #MyBodyIsNotASecret (#MonCorpsNEstPasUnSecret) widely used by "sisters", which highlights the evolution of a generation that has witnessed the global impact of the movement # MeToo.

"There is a lot of discomfort associated with women's bodies. We don't talk about it", regrets Kanwal Ahmed, who herself lost knowledge of breast cancer, diagnosed too late because she had "too much. ashamed to talk about his body with anyone ".

A Soul Sisters member opened up about her battle with vaginismus, allowing others to identify their own symptoms.

"The platform is important because many women would not agree to discuss these issues in public forums," said Nayab Gohar Jan, who defends their rights in Lahore, the capital of eastern Pakistan.

In a Pakistani internet "dominated by men", Kanwal Ahmed "has broken this vicious cycle and has kind of shattered the glass ceiling by broadcasting a program on YouTube that deals strictly with women's issues," she continues.

Produced thanks to the grant received from Facebook, this one, also online on Facebook, attracts hundreds of thousands of views.

Such initiatives have not gone without their fair share of criticism, the Soul Sisters founder having been accused of promoting divorce and "savage" behavior, while more progressive voices criticize her for allowing the sharing of conservative views. .

Dissident groups have even emerged to capture, without success, its members.

"Every time someone changes their mind or we have successes it's instant gratification," she recently tweeted.

Kanwal Ahmed recently moved to Canada, where she continues her fight.

To question a society "which is afraid of women who have a voice".

© 2020 AFP