Hassan Salman, Daily Times
How well a society treats its women is one of the strongest indicators of the success and health of that society. It is no secret that despite the media uproar regarding this pertinent issue, women are constantly being harassed and cornered in our society. Traumatic and dreadful issues are emerging which are physically and mentally affecting the lives of women. The sad part is that now; age is actually considered just a number by a hand picked number of brutal rapists and murderers.
We still cannot forget Zainab Ansari. Why was she made victim to this inhumanity. A six year old making her way to a Quran recital. What could she have possibly done wrong? According to lawyer Asma Jahangir, one of the founders of Women’s Action Forum, upto seventy two percent of women in custody in Pakistan are physically or sexually abused. You cannot expect a women to be safe, a women to not think twice before going out late at night.
Forceful marriages of women which leads to them not being able to complete their education is an example of how women are discriminated in our society. This is just the beginning. Inability to complete their education results in financial dependency on others. Circumstances like these, where women have no choice but to silently resist the injustice are the reason why these stereotypes have started.
Forceful marriages of women which leads to them not being able to complete their education is an example of how women are discriminated in our society.
Imagine letting go of your education for someone only to find them blackmailing and torturing you. Even if that is minimal, taking care of each and everything in households will still result in them being labelled as useless and worthless. Where’s the justice? In contrast to all of this, if a women manages to secure an education for herself and decides to work to earn herself a living, she will face many problems in employment. Even if she is employed, politics as to how a male should be given higher salaries will be started.
Although the government has taken initiatives for the wellbeing of women in Pakistan, they haven’t been very effective. Although Articles 25 & 26 do ensure that there will be no discrimination based on gender however it is quite evident that it isn’t being taken seriously. It can be seen as how the World Economic Forum has placed Pakistan as the second worst country on gender equality in its 2017 Global Gender Gap Equality.
We know that the situation is not ideal however there is always a glimmer of hope. As a society, we should focus on how we can work to improve the status of women in our society. Provision of education for females is one of the major factors that could influence this. Schemes to fund education for females should be initiated.
Laws regarding minimum number of years of schooling each girl should have can be established. education should not only be limited to women but the men too should be taught about their roles and responsibilities and the way women should be treated. Women in rural areas should be given employment opportunities through government schemes.
Seeing how little girls are being raped is proof of how our society is desperately in need for help. After proper inquiry, if proven guilty, these rapists should be hanged publicly. The only way to stop this is to inculcate fear amongst ourselves. We don’t realise how toxic this mistreatment can prove to be for our society. At the end of the day, it is our loss. Its up to us to decide whether we want our society to prosper or not.
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