About the Author(s)
Hadia Fatima
The author studies international relations at the University of Central Punjab, Lahore. She is a great advocate of human rights and endeavors to stand against women’s oppression.
I Count Too; The Misery of Pakistani Women. The second sex, silenced voices, and a community left unnoticed.
What is it like to be born in a place where more than half of the population battles daily for their fundamental rights? Pakistan, a country for which many have been killed, a nuclear power, failed miserably at providing a haven for women. I wake up twice or thrice a week to the news of sexual assault and harassment. It is irksome to see how my kind(women), encounter such incidents every day in almost every part of the world. We have been disparaged as a second sex since ages. We have been victims of grotesque traditions like Sati, in which women are burned along with their dead spouses. Women did not get the ballot until 1893. New Zealand was the first country to grant them suffrage.
Much has been done in the papers to safeguard the rights of women but it did not bring any results for us. For instance, marital rape falls in the context of a criminal offense under section 377 of the Pakistan panel code. Despite these provisions, many women in Pakistan remain silent in the face of their husbands’ pugnacious behaviors. Like the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act of 2016, a barrage of acts has been devised and approved, but they did not even cushion the rights of a single woman. However, only laws cannot eradicate the deep-rooted cultural and religious dynamics that oppress women.
Role of religious clerics and fanatics in exacerbating the plight of women:
Our religion highlights all the fundamental rights of women. However, some misinterpreted the teachings of Islam and bound it only to women to fulfill the orders of it. These are the clerics who, with their cajoling ability, capture the young minds. They know nothing of Islam, but they are brainwashed to the extent that they kill people on their whims. All thanks to Zia-ul-Haq’s Islamization policies. He introduced a hadood ordinance in which the victim had to prove that she had been raped, in case she failed to prove that, then she had to face detention. After that came the rape apologists, the victim blamers who accused the victim of being responsible for the poignant treatment they suffered. Rape apologists blame women for their vulgar dress instead of men who want to assert power and as a result rape some innocents. Imran Khan, a renowned populist leader, also made the statement that the women’s dress code is the ultimate cause of the surge in rape cases. He spent a part of his life according to Western culture, enjoying his mornings on beaches, and dating English girls but played a blame game pointing fingers at women for their dress code. He adopted a hypocritical stance to curry the favor of the masses to bolster his political support.
Honor killings and rapes are prevalent in Pakistani society. Approximately 470 cases of honour killings have been reported in 2021. Qandeel Baloch, a model, and actress, had been killed by her brother to restore the honour of his family. Noor Mukadam was raped and killed in an upscale neighborhood. Instead of expressing sympathy for the victims, many blamed them based on their dress code and their time of being outside at night. Malala, who showed a great amount of courage against terrorism is seen as a CIA agent, who works for America by Pakistani society. On account of the conspiracy theories against the liberation of women.
Factors contributing to the misery of women in Pakistan:
In our society, many are of the opinion that women are suited to the household task, and to keep up with the orders of the men. One of the accentuated reasons behind that is patriarchy, misogyny, and societal stereotypes. Women, in our society, are often seen as the property of men, owing to these patriarchal norms. Hatred against women has been inserted into young minds by the rambling monologues of some fanatics. Masculinity remained the prime factor in our society that prevented women from touching the zenith of success. Which nation could succeed when more than half of its population is bound to do household chores and not allowed to work in real- time businesses? Moreover, household contributions are also not considered by deluded men in our society because they lack cost value. These are the standards women have to deal with in Pakistan.
Misunderstood movement “Aurat March”:
After all these circumstances, when few women try to raise their voices, they are spurned by the majority of men calling it a Western agenda, a smear on their family values and public morality. Few tried to defame the Aurat march movement by displaying inappropriate placards which the Aurat march conspicuously did not support or propagate. Many influencers, for their economic or personal gains, slander this movement. Most prominent is Sahil Adeem, who recently stated that 95% of the women in Pakistan are illiterate.
Another one is Khalil-ur- Rehman Qamar who is very good at hate speech against women. The way the Aurat march is being portrayed in Pakistan could be a discussion but the pivot of the whole movement advocates for the protection of the rights of women. One futile argument made by the majority of men and misogynistic women in Pakistan is, “What kind of rights are they fighting for? Islam has given them all the rights.” No doubt, Islam has given them all the rights. But who is demanding rights from Islam? They are demanding their rights from the state, from men who are depriving women of their rights. Aurat March also advocates for lower social class, and it was the first to campaign for Palestine, even before Jamaat-e-Islami. Despite its primary aim to provide rights to women, the Aurat march is still reduced to a Western conspiracy.
What can we, as a nation, do to secure the women of our mother nation? Education plays a vital role in eliminating violence and loath against women. Patriarchy can only be smothered when there is enough literacy when masculinity is considered a dreadful thing in society. Change can be brought when men acknowledge this problem and give recognition to women beyond their homes. A community can only flourish when its women enjoy the freedom to live as they always dreamt.
