The state of our women

Courtesy:-  MALIK MUHAMMAD ASHRAF

What has been done, and what must still be done, to liberate Pakistan’s womenfolk

Quaid-e-Azam Muhammad Ali Jinnah said in a speech in 1944, “No nation can rise to the heights of glory unless its women are side by side with men; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live”. There could not have been a better exposition of the debilitating and oppressing circumstances that Muslim women of the sub-continent find themselves in. After partition, the situation in Pakistan with regard to the participation of women in the national effort and their rights was as dismal as described by the Quaid-e-Azam.

Among a slew of factors that hindered the mainstreaming of women and their participation in nation building were: lack of education, poverty, patriarchal value system, misinterpretation of religious tenets, anti-women legislation, cumbersome judicial system, cultural and social taboos, oppressive cultural traditions of discrimination against women and a mindset of considering women folk as inferior human beings. The cruel practices likekaro kari, domestic violence and mistreatment of women are some of the collateral off-shoots of the foregoing societal and cultural inequalities. Nevertheless the status of women in Pakistan varies considerably across classes, regions, the urban-rural divide and as a result of uneven socio-economic variables. The tribal, feudal and capitalist social milieu also impacted the lives of women. Women like Fatima Jinnah and Benazir Bhutto, who left indelible marks on the movement for emancipation of women as well as the political landscape of Pakistan, belonged to an elite and educated class and so were the other women who participated in the freedom movement and later also worked for emancipation of women in Pakistan.

Notwithstanding the report of the World Economic Forum for 2014, ranking Pakistan as the second worst country in the world regarding gender equality, the situation in Pakistan is much more encouraging and rosy than it used to be during the first two decades after partition

However, notwithstanding the report of the World Economic Forum for 2014, ranking Pakistan as the second worst country in the world regarding gender equality, the situation in Pakistan is much more encouraging and rosy than it used to be during the first two decades after partition. Pakistani women of today enjoy better status than women of most Islamic countries. To begin with, the 1973 constitution guaranteed gender equality and prohibited all kinds of discrimination on the basis of race, religion and sex; a legal framework which was so vitally needed to determine the status of women as equal citizens. To ensure political empowerment of women seats were reserved in the national assembly for them in addition to their right to contest on general seats. Similarly, the doors of the prestigious civil services and foreign service of Pakistan were opened for women.

Successive governments have made continuous efforts to ensure enrolment of girls in schools and universities and also to increase the number of universities in the country. In 1970 there were only six universities in the country. By the mid-seventies the number increased to 12 and women represented 55 percent and 35 percent of the enrolment in Karachi and Punjab universities respectively. Today there are 130 universities in the country where the proportion of women enrolment is not far behind their male counterparts. The PPP and PML-N governments since the early nineties have also been working on improving education and have taken a number of steps to provide free education up to 10thgrade and made it obligatory for the parents to send their children to school. This revolution in the education sector has made a lot of difference in the situation.

Many of the prejudices and social taboos against them are gradually becoming history. Religious groups have often worked with members of civil society in denouncing violence against women and have issued edicts condemning ’honour killings’ which has won appreciation of the international community, women organisations and NGOs working for the rights of women in Pakistan.

In the early nineties, Pakistan also ratified the UN Convention for the Elimination of All Forms Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW). A National Commission on the status of women (NCSW) was established as an outcome of national and international commitments of the government of Pakistan, like Beijing Declaration and Platform for Action 1995 and National Plan of Action for Women, 1998. The Commission was established with the specific purpose to examine policies, programmes and other measures taken by the government for women’s development and gender quality, review laws, rules and regulations affecting the status of women and to develop and maintain interaction and dialogue with NGOs, experts and individuals in society at the national, regional and international level.

There are still certain areas where the society needs to work collectively, particularly in the tribal and far flung areas of the country where women are still hostage to tribal and social customs and where there are no education facilities for children

The commission has worked with the government to promulgate several legislative measures designed to ameliorate the lot of women and promoting gender equality in the country, which include: The Prevention Against Domestic Violence Act 2008, The Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act 2010, The Criminal Law Amendment Act 2010, The Prevention Of Anti-Women Practices Act 2011, The Women In Distress and Detention Fund 2011, Nation Commission On Status Of Women Act 2012.

These legislative measures are indeed very significant from the perspective of ensuring legal protection to women against traditional prejudices and discriminatory acts and ensuring gender equality in all spheres of the national life. Social attitudes do take a lot of time and the right efforts to change. It is a reality that the process of change in Pakistan is not as fast as desired or should have been but what is encouraging to note is that the government is fully committed to changing the social perception about women and their role in the development of the country and there is also a growing acceptance within the society for an enhanced role for women in the national effort and doing away with the archaic and barbaric social practices against them.

There are still certain areas where the society needs to work collectively, particularly in the tribal and far flung areas of the country where women are still hostage to tribal and social customs and where there are no education facilities for children. The PML-N government has taken some steps to promote education in backward areas; like refund of fees to students belonging to those areas and encouraging them to pursue higher studies. Pursuant to government policies, the Higher Education Commission has also initiated a programme of scholarships for talented students from backward areas. It is only through education that attitudes about women can be changed and a social revolution set in motion. Therefore there is a need for persistent efforts in that direction with unflinching commitment