PAKISTAN: Violence Against Women to Increase in Future: Experts

Experts have predicted an increase in the incidents of violence against women (VAW) in future and termed the trend a natural product of new social order which allows larger space for women.

They were speaking at a literary discourse of two documents including Impact Assessment Report and Strategy paper of ‘We Can Campaign Pakistan.' The ‘We Can Campaign' dedicated these two reports to the upcoming 100th anniversary of International Women's Day falling on March 8.

The strategy paper of the campaign reveals that 80 per cent of women in Pakistan experience domestic violence and 1 in every 3 women experience some form of violence. It says that almost all indicators relating to the status of the rights of women show that Pakistan has extremely high levels of gender discrimination. “It is one of the few countries of the world with negative sex ratio with 100 women to 108.5 men.”

It mentions that this uncovers an appalling reality about the society where female infanticide is relatively low (particularly as compared to other countries in the region such as India), absolute preference of sons over daughters and sheer under valuation of girls means that many girls do not reach puberty owing to malnutrition or health negligence.

The report says that major reasons of violence against women in Pakistan are patriarchal value system, poverty, religious misinterpretation, anti-women legislation and judicial system. It says that women form around 70 per cent of the poor in the country. Discussing another indicator, the report mentions that women make 66.4 per cent of work force in agriculture sector but only 2 per cent own land.

It says that domestic violence enjoy acceptance in the society to the extent that government institutions including police protect the perpetrators of the crime. It says that once in 2004, when the Domestic Violence Bill was tabled in the parliament, it was not allowed to be presented by the treasury benches terming it an attempt to bring forth un-Islamic legislation.

Speaking on the occasion, eminent poet and columnist Haris Khalique said that gender roles are changing and increase in violence against women is a manifestation of resistance by the society to this change.

He said a comparison of the strength of women students in universities can easily depict the social change on its way to Pakistani society. “The strength of women students in Karachi University is 90 per cent. In Punjab University it is 70 per cent whereas 60 per cent of the students in medical colleges are women,” he said.

Public policy expert Javed Hasan Aly termed “dogmatic obscurantism” a root cause of violence against women in the society. “We need to fight dogma and obscurantism if we want to revive a progressive society given birth by our Holy Prophet (PBUH) where women were of equal consequence to human, social, political and economic lives as men.” He regretted that religious scholars that are most needed at this time are forced by extremists to leave the country.