Pakistan is an over populated country. This sentence itself contains a manifold reality. In a country of more than 20 million people almost half of the population is female. In terms of statistics this could have been a strength of women in the society, being almost equal in numbers. But one after another report in the recent years has revealed the status of women safety and security in Pakistan being one of the weakest around the world. Pakistan ranked bottom 4th in Women Peace and Security Index 2019-20. The phenomenon of violence against women has multiple layers to it and sadly you can witness all forms of violence against women in one or the other area of Pakistan. A very difficult position is that we yet not have a social acceptance for the existence of this phenomenon. The report, published by the Georgetown Institute for Women, Peace and Security in partnership with the Peace Research Institute of Oslo, claims that about 27% of Pakistani women have faced violence from their intimate partners. Yet it is also reported that one in three married Pakistani women face physical violence from spouse or from someone dominant in the household. Women in Pakistan experience violence in many forms and ways. Most of the reported cases are under the following seven categories
1. Physical abuse
Physical abuse does not only mean that they are being beaten rather depriving women from basic needs such as food health and hygiene is also to be mentioned as physical abuse. It is common in most parts of the country that male members of the family get better food and have access to health facilities which women do not have.
Hurting
Physically beating a female is most commonly witnessed in domestic violence especially in case of married women. Cases are reported of physical abuse by father, brother or any other male in the family as well but these are lesser in number. It is traditional and religiously interpreted and believed by majority that a husband has the right to beat wife. This mindset encouraged physical abuse to a larger level. Having unconsented sex and bearing children even when she is not physically and mentally ready for it is yet not considered abusive. In many cases drug addicted or alcoholic male members of a household regularly beat and physically abuse women which they rarely talk about. Acid throwing and burning or ruining a females’ appearance by cutting or damaging her body parts are the forms of physical violence which have been reported and seemingly decreased in past few years, yet are not fully controlled.
Killing
In past few years cases are being reported more frequently as murders, which were not counted as murder for decades in Pakistan. Most of the cases were either reported as suicide or accidental deaths. While now with more awareness and implementation of women protection act such cases are being reported as murder. Honor killing is another form which is yet not realistically assessed and reported in many parts of the country. Same is the case of female infanticide.
2. Sexual Abuse
Sexual harassment to molestation and rape is neither fully reported nor counted in the current social scenario. Sexual harassment and molestation is found everywhere including home, educational institutions and workplace. With the spread of education and awareness, girls and young woman now report such incidents yet very few of them actually are sorted out and the culprits are rarely penalized. The ultimate form of sexual abuse is rape. Yet there is no database available to get exact figures of rape cases reported in various parts of the country. In the month of March 2020 it was reported that during first sixty days of 2020 seventy three incidents of rape had been reported, including 5 gang-rape cases only in the city of Lahore, which is one of the most developed cities of Pakistan. Within past few years many young girls were reported to be abducted, raped and killed brutally in various parts of the country. Throwing their dead bodies on roadside or in trash, made this even more horrible and gave a shock to the whole society.
3. Verbal and Emotional Abuse
Experiencing emotional or verbal abuse in a country like Pakistan is not even categorized yet. If a woman is continuously said negative and shameful remarks, she is being tortured continuously. It ranges from body shaming to insult and scaring of being killed or left alone. Humiliation on the one hand and fear factor of isolation or of being physically abused on the other hand keep females stressed persistently. Threats of hurting oneself or loved ones is a common way of exploitation and abuse but these are not even reported or recorded until an actual physical abuse occurs.
4. Financial Abuse
In most of the less developed parts of the country and many of the urban communities as well, women are supposed to be responsible for household chores while men are the bread earners. This divide of the gender roles has been so for many decades in Pakistan and was given a religious ground as well. This had been a huge barrier in the way of women to work in professions beyond a very limited scope. Even if they work they cannot spend their own earned money by themselves. Females in Pakistan’s rural areas have the least financial rights. Financial abuse is another category where women surrender very easily because it is interpreted to them traditionally and religiously to forgo their financial rights to the male member of the family. Mostly the male members act as if taking over the finances is a way to make life easier for women, yet the women are being unknowingly financially abused. Even the wages received by the women against their hard work are taken over by men. They often explain that females have less ability and skills of financial management. Some of the common ways of financial abuse include refusing to give access to their own money and property, fixing a small amount or giving no amount in hands of females. Questioning about smallest expenses and making financial decisions against the will of females.
5. Digital Abuse
For a long time in Pakistan the traditional households never allowed females to even pick up a landline call. With the spread of mobile networks and especially now with the access to smart-phones it became another source of abuse. Access to computers or phones made women more vulnerable and easily accessible for the people with negative intentions. The digital abuse ranges from unwanted calls, messages to sexist multiple media messages and pressurizing to share nude pictures or videos. Digital abuse also relates to emotional abuse when women are forced to do a lot gains their will and are threatened if they do not do so
6. Marriages against will
Only recently it is realized that getting a girl married without her will is not less than forced sex. For decades it has been a tradition across the country to fix a girls marriage without her consent and if she tries to refuse she is not only insulted, shamed but also forced into a marriage. Girls are given as a penalty and reward to other families and tribes. Minority girls are reported again and again to be abducted forcefully converted and married. These cases are not dealt with regular abduction and forced sex cases, rather these are manipulated as religious conversions and marriage with consent.
The details mentioned above make it evident that violence against women is not limited to the level of household or family; women, particularly in the underdeveloped areas of Pakistan are in the hold of a tribal or feudal code which has gained considerable strength with the passage of time as the indoctrination was strengthened over past four to five decades. The phenomenon of power in the land ownership has added multiple dimensions to violence against women for instance a daughter usually has to forgo her share of land if she is being married out of the family. While the spouse and the family tortures the women even more to get the share of land. In such conflict the girl faces the emotional, verbal and physical abuse. To keep the land in their families, feudal will make incompatible matching of young boys and older girls or young girls and elderly men. Females in the families having huge land ownership face severe danger, some of them are kept unmarried and some are declared insane or killed to transfer the land to the men’s name. In many parts of the country a woman is not a human being in her own right but a commodity, a piece of property. Giving away women and girls as a penalty or reward is more common in rural parts. The woman given away in such cases is treated like an animal, or a domesticated pet where she loses all her rights as a human being.
During the 16 days activism in November each year we read news and articles, yet we deny and we let all this happen around us.
Sources
https://www.womenshealth.gov/relationships-and-safety/other-types
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2176406/70-rape-cases-reported-2-months
https://www.dawn.com/news/1294475
https://www.thenews.com.pk/print/177182-Cases-of-violence-against-women-increase
https://www.endvawnow.org/en/articles/296-forms-of-violence-against-women-.html
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