Family, the cradle of society, today in the whole world, is being challenged from a host of forces and that cause it to crumble. Some of the challenges are internal, and some others are external. Pakistan is also no exception to this phenomenon. Almost every day we listen about crime, abuse, uncontrolled sexuality, poverty stricken families, neglected children, drug and alcoholic abuses, suicides, activities of militant groups, murder, theft etc.

Mr Khan touched on following three areas of practical nature and participants discussed these issues and other issues highlighted by Bishop Michael for three hours in groups and open house discussion.

(i) There is a challenge to family life in many kinds of working patterns, where people are encouraged to work far away from home or to work for impossible hours that don’t allow them to see their families properly.

(ii) There is a challenge in some ideas of how men should behave or are allowed to behave – that is both in terms of the tolerance extended to men who misbehave in broader terms of men’s expectations of their role in a family.

(iii) There is a challenge in the shape of violence inside the home, against women or children, often kept secret – or not believed in when it is spoken about.

*The Revd Rana Khan worked as the International Inter Faith Dialogues Assistant to the Archbishop of Canterbury and the Anglican Communion. He is now working with Faith Matters, a not for profit organisation founded in 2005 which works to reduce extremism and interfaith and intra-faith tensions and we develop platforms for discourse and interaction between Muslim, Sikh, Christian, Jewish and Hindu communities across the globe.