Haya Zahid

I read law however switched from a corporate law career track towards becoming a legal empowerment missionary ! I have volunteered in prisons since i was 16 years old, started working in a legal aid clinic in a women facility and scaled the program to 24 prisons in under a decade. Using data from the lived experiences of victims of miscarriages of justice I was able to start worlds first convict led paralegal program; obtained government funding for legal aid clinics and revamped colonial prison legislation. I also founded the Legal Aid Society in 2013 which is a not for profit working on child and gender justice , Access to justice through legal empowerment and climate resilience. I am now working on tackling Pakistans biggest justice problem : a chronic court case pendency of 2.4 million cases . I am a mother to two beautiful children , a son and a daughter , for whom I hope to create a better tomorrow through building a society where justice is realisable for all . I have studied at City University and University College London, attended a fellowship at the Australian National University and am an Acumen Fellowk

Cultivating purposeful conflict ; bringing human narratives to the fore in policy advocacy ; using human centered data in bridging justice gaps, clearing overburdened court dockets ( there are 2.4 million cases pending before 3000 judges in Pakistan - this impacts justice outcomes for everyone ); helping people in conflict with the law get a second chance at life !

Shifting the Power of the Law into the hands of people ( everyday justice seekers ); everyone deserves a second chance , need to eradicate the myths around “donating people out of their troubles “ , human security centered reform in accessing justice needs an intersectional approach - merging together root causes of injustice with prospects of reintegration and re-entry into community life

Painting ( amateur at almost all mediums but especially like to create chaos with acrylic pour paintings and a trusted hair dryer ! )