International public policy and gender reforms specialist Salman Sufi announced on Sunday that he has been chosen as an inaugural member of the international Vital Voices Solidarity Council (VVSC).

The VVSC "is a unique endeavour bringing together men who are allies in the fight to raise global awareness on behalf of women and girls around the world."

The VVSC seeks to focus on "human trafficking, domestic violence, sexual violence and harmful practices, and engaging boys and men in meaningful conversations about masculinity."

Additionally, the council seeks to identify and nominate men to receive the annual Solidarity Award which will be presented in New York City on International Human Rights Day.

Sufi, the former director general of the Punjab Chief Minister’s Strategic Reforms Unit and a former member of the Special Monitoring Unit (SMU), tweeted the news, saying that he was honoured to have been chosen as one of 12 men from around the world who will work to end violence against women.

"In the conservative Pakistani society, women experience the world differently," Sufi was quoted as saying on the VVSC website.

Sufi is responsible for the establishment of a survivor service model which has gained international attention – the Violence Against Women Centres (VAWC) — as a part of the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act.

The VAWCs offer first aid, medical and forensic assistance, police reporting and investigation, legal aid and post-trauma rehabilitation. According to Sufi, the VAWC must be seen as "a statement from Pakistan to its women that violence is no longer acceptable".

"Our women’s lives shall no longer be outlined by the atrocities committed against them, but through their achievements as empowered and equal citizens of Pakistan," he had said.