Our Struggle to fight for the rights of women
For many years, the women of Pakistan have been denied the most basic of rights – the rights to an education and even the rights to decide matters relating to their own marriage and divorce. Those denied these rights are also deprived of the right of equality in a male dominated society where women remain subservient to men.
This inequality is a matter of serious concern and in need of urgent attention.
Each year, a large portion of women in Pakistan are forced to suffer domestic violence – such as beatings, torture, being burned, disfigured with acid or even murdered by their own families. Others suffer sexual violence by family members, strangers and even the police. Honor killings are rampant, as is abuse and torture in custody. All of which are considered by many in Pakistan to be social and cultural “norms”.
In a society where strict family and tribal customs as well as lack of education and misunderstanding of Islam have forced women into a position of submission and fear, many live a life of oppression without the most basic of rights or the ability to defend themselves. The domination of men in society and the subordination of women are assumed to be a part of culture and religion – a belief that has resulted in violence against women an accepted feature of domestic life.
In a recent survey in Pakistan, men and women - mostly belonging to low income groups - from various parts of Karachi were asked if hitting or abusing women was justified. Amazingly, while virtually all the males responded affirmatively, almost 80 percent of the women agreed too. These women contended that they believe their husbands have a right to beat them if they do not obey their orders, clean the house, cook food or displease them in some other way.
Violence against women in Pakistan remains a worrying phenomenon. Cultural beliefs and the structure of the family where a man is the head of the house hold and the women is answerable to him, leads to and legitimizes the punishments and violence inflicted upon women. Women are forced to live in “Char Divari” (within four walls) and are expected to play their role in the house only.
They are never given their due credit as an asset towards development; on the contrary, women who stand up for their rights - such as getting a divorce from an abusive husband – are looked down upon by society.
Most the crimes against women are done in the name of social traditions. Traditions, that themselves are gnawing at the roots of Pakistani social and legal fabric. At every turn are contradictions – where a man can commit the most serious of crimes in the name of honor and a woman cannot even fight for self-defence.
The sale of women, karo kari incidents, death by burning, forced marriages and the curse of a dowry reflect the real state of affairs in the country. And with the passage of time, these social problems have become more complicated. The more one examines the problems faced by women in Pakistan and the ignorance that prevails in sections of society, the more it seems that to be a woman may alone be a crime in Pakistan.
The Ansar Burney Trust has been fighting for the cause of women for the last 25 years and in this time we have managed to help thousands – directly through legal support, medical support and providing shelter, to indirectly by the closing down of woman “mandis” (markets) and changes in the legal system.
However, in the Pakistani setup - women are to men as flies to wanton boys who kill them out of sport. These vicious traditions cause harrowing incidents daily and result in uproar in the media and some levels of society, but people stick by them simply because they do not have the sense and use of true information to stand up against them.
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