Girls can’t marry against the wishes of their parents, below 40-year women can’t go to market unless escorted by a male family member, girls shall not use mobile phone outside their homes, girls and women shall have to use hijab (dopatta, head cover) while outside their homes —- no, no we are not in Darra Adem Khel, Mira Shah or Wana in Pakistani tribal belt; we are in a village about 40-KM from Delhi wherein its Panchayat (elders’ gathering) has decided to regulate the lives of its female residents. As per Panchayat, they have taken these steps to establish the feminine honor, to protect them from wide spread lawlessness and mobs molestation.
Instead of addressing the lawlessness issue, apparently they have chosen the easiest path —- restrict the girls and women’ movement. But that will not solve the main issue, tomorrow someone may say that schools have failed to improve the ethical and moral character of their students, means we shall close all the schools! There is no end to such thinking. I wonder of Indian political parties and civil society’ reaction to these open human rights violation by these self-reformists. They have to be careful, could lead to what we have been facing in Pakistan wherein in some conservative constituencies, women are not permitted to even cast their votes. And that decision to bar the women from voting is jointly taken by all the religious and liberal parties.
MASOOD KHAN
Jubail, Saudi Arabia
