Pakistan doesn't care violence against women is spiralling out of control
Despite several laws in place, in the glaring absence of enforcements, there is no let up in the number of cases of violence against women in Pakistan.
Most disturbingly, the current year seems to be particularly brutal, with more than a dozen honour killings occurring in just one-and-a-half months. It looks like Pakistan is still in the medieval or dark ages with scant respect for women or its own laws.
To cite an example, an independent and motivated woman, Huma Shahnawaz , 27, belonging to Kohat in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), is the latest victim of atrocity.
Huma had the courage to defy the advances of her cousin, who often intimidated her to marry him. She refused his overtures, enraging him, and he got her killed in cold blood. Sadly, Huma was the sole breadwinner of her family and earned her livelihood by working in a small NGO in Islamabad. Her earnings supported her widowed sister-in-law, her dependent children, her divorced sister and her child.
The murder drew attention of some international human rights bodies which put pressure on the Pakistan government, leading to issue of an arrest warrant against the murderer. He is still on the run.
Under further pressure from the vocal international NGOs, the murderer's father was arrested, ostensibly to calm the agitated women in the region.
It's clear that most often, state inaction amounts to endorsement of such dastardly acts occurring in the name of honour of a tribe or family.
In addition to the cases of murder, torture and physical abuse of hapless women by a patriarchal society is more routine than an exception.
One fails to understand how in a country such as Pakistan, where military writ runs and which is consistently trying to eliminate terror and ethnic feud, such honour killings are regular happenings.
Pakistani sociologists reckon that the country's society encourages violent behaviour and accepts it as social norm.
According to the latest statistics on violence against women, contained in a report by the ministry of law, justice and human rights submitted to parliament, there were 860 honour killings, 481 incidents of domestic violence, 90 cases of acid burning, 344 cases of rape/gangrape and 268 incidents of sexual assault/harassment. And these are only official figures. The toll is even higher as many cases do not get registered with the police.
Significantly, the laws against honour killings have been toughened. Yet, nearly 40 honour killings have been recorded since the promulgation on October 7, 2016, of the Anti-Honour Killing and Anti-Rape Bills. This suggests inertia on the part of Pakistani federal and provincial governments.
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| Punjab Commission on the status of women has reported a 20 per cent surge in violence against women every year from 2012 to 2015. Appallingly, there were 81 convictions in 2015, compared to 378 in 2012. (Photo: India Today) |
More interestingly, out of a total population of 190 million people, women in Pakistan constitute almost 52 per cent. Yet, a majority of these women suffer mental and physical abuse in the form of domestic violence, rape, assault, acid attacks and honour killings.
According to the 2011 Thomson Reuters Foundation Report, Pakistan is the world's third most dangerous country for women. It continues to suppress and oppress women by openly denying them the right to education, healthcare, adequate nutrition and even the right to choose their life partners.
Judging by yet another reliable statistic, World Economic Forum's (WEF) global gender gap report ranks Pakistan at 143 among 144 countries in the gender equality index. Since 2006, when the country stood at 112th position, its standing has been steadily deteriorating each year. Pakistan has also been ranked the second worst country in the world for gender equality for the second consecutive year.
Meanwhile, the Punjab Commission on the status of women has reported a 20 per cent surge in violence against women every year from 2012 to 2015.
Such rise in crime is perceived to be the direct fallout of decline in conviction rates. Appallingly, there were 81 convictions in 2015, compared to 378 in 2012.
Enforcement and enactment of "women-friendly laws" are of no use unless women are accorded decision-making and empowering positions in the work force. According to the commission's report, Pakistan was one of the few countries in the world that didn't have a woman as a federal minister.
There are only two female state ministers at the federal level. Glaringly, the provinces of Punjab, Sindh and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had only one woman minister in their cabinet, while Balochistan did not have even one.
Further, in Pakistan the literacy rate is dismal. According to a 2015 report of UNESCO, popularly referred to as 'eAtlas of gender inequality in education', almost 16 million girls between the ages of 6 and 11 are not currently in school.
It might appear wishful thinking to expect the status of women to be elevated only by promulgation of laws. The state must play an active role along with society in ensuring equality as envisaged in the constitution.
Unless this responsibility is seriously taken up to uplift the status of women, 52 per cent of Pakistan's population will continue to suffer from violent discrimination.
Indian entities engaged in women's welfare activities must, while expressing solidarity with their Pakistani counterparts, join the crusade for a more proactive approach to this protracted malaise.
Collaboration between the two countries will generate more pressure, increasing the hope of favourable results.