Islamabad: A Pakistani lawyer and activist Tahera Hassan received the Commonwealth Points of Light Award for her efforts promoting the wellbeing of orphaned, abandoned and stateless children.

According to a press statement issued here on Friday, Points of Light Awards are given to outstanding individual volunteers who are making a positive change in their community.

Having been a strong supporter of adoption, Hassan specializes in family law and custody cases. She founded the Imkaan Welfare Organization in 2012, which now runs a shelter and recreational center for orphaned and abandoned children in Karachi’s Machar Colony, a squatter settlement home to nearly 700,000 people.

Hassan has also set up a mother and child healthcare center there in addition, Hassan helps in the adoption of orphans and stateless children, helping reduce both infanticide and child abandonment. Imkaan, she says, was found on the principle that “each and every child not only has the right to live but to thrive”.

Tahera Hassan said: “It is an honor and privilege to receive the Points of Light Award. It is a recognition for the work of all those involved on a day-to-day basis, highlighting and fighting for the rights of stateless and marginalized communities in Pakistan.

The right to citizenship, identity and more specifically children’s rights, is a neglected subject. This award goes a step forward in bringing these issues to the forefront.”

UK High Commissioner to Pakistan Dr Christian Turner said: “Tahera is making a big impact on the lives of some of the most vulnerable children in Pakistan. This recognition of her work is a testimony to the long-standing and deep ties that UK, Pakistan and other Commonwealth nations share.”