During the past few years, incidents of violence against women have been on the rise throughout the world, including Pakistan. In United States alone, 280 women are sexually or physically harassed every day out of which 80 percent are eventually killed.
Every year, 4 million women all over the world are forced into prostitution. Around one million females are traded for money annually in Pakistan, India and Bangladesh and many women from these regions are smuggled into foreign lands for prostitution and bonded labour. Over the past five years, 9,679 women have been murdered in Punjab. Of these, 1,638 had been killed by their own family members while 8,041 were slaughtered for honour or to avoid giving them their due share in property. 3,379 women have been killed in this time period for not bringing dowry after marriage, propagating their rights and owing to other family disputes.
At present, 60 percent of the women in jail are detained under application of the Hudood Ordinance. A majority of these are not offenders but to the contrary are victims of sexual assaults who are forced to leave their children and families after having gone through the harassment trauma. As a result, numerous motherless kids from broken families have been turning to crime in the past years.
Over the past 10 months, more than 3,800 cases have been registered involving murder, kidnap for ransom, domestic violence, gang rape and sexual harassment in which women were the primary victims. This figure stands tall despite the fact that many women are unable to register a case under murder threats from their husbands or guardians. Sometimes, trapped in such situations, these desperate and helpless women lose all hope and commit suicide and in a few cases they do so after killing their own children and husband.
In many cases women who raised voices against their alcoholic, junkie or a gambling husbands- willing to auctions their own children into bonded or cheap labour- were murdered by their husbands on the behest of extra-marital involvements. More than 600 such cases, in which the husbands murdered their wives on allegations of corruption, have been registered in the past 10 months.
24 cases of acid attacks on women have come up in the same time period while 8 cases of explosions from gas leaks during cooking- burning women to death- have also appeared in the news.
Every day, courts in Lahore receive on average 4 to 5 petitions by women whose husbands took their kids away from them. 75 reported cases of such children being murdered have been reported in the past 10 months.
1,945 cases of gang rapes have been reported in the same time period while more than 98 children have been injured during a total of 680 incidents of domestic violence against their mothers. In Punjab, more than 300,000 cases of violence against women, in some form or the other, have been registered since the start of 2012.
Racecourse Police Station SHO Bushra talked to Pakistan Today on this pressing issue facing the society. She opined that often sexual and physical assaults are initiated under influence of drugs. Most men, she said, expected their wives to fulfil their demands in addition to their household responsibilities. Those men who are addicted to gambling, alcohol or other drugs are unable to bear the expenses of their families and transfer this duty onto their wives.
Bushra said that she had encountered numerous cases in her career where a mother of 4 or 5 children was involved in illegal activities such as prostitution to feed her family. These women, she said, had been stretched by their circumstances to a point where they abhorred their own selves and continued with their life only to sustain their kids. Their husbands, who are always in need of money for maintaining their addictions, are continuously threatening to sell their children if they did not come up with the cash they demanded.
DRUNKARDS, PSYCHOLOGICALLY CHALLENGED, PROSTITUTES AND IMMUNE TO GUILT:
Shahida, a resident of Kotlakhpat, said that she had been married for five years and all that time had been spent in utter destitution and helplessness. She recalled in a wavering voice how her husband turned up drunk on the first night of their marriage and took away all cash gifts she had received on the wedding. “He started abusing me under influence and took away all the money, saying he needed to settle a debt. This was my wedding night. I knew right then that my life had been destroyed but I compromised because I did not want to hurt my parent’s dignity. I stuck to my destiny,” she said. Shahida said the circumstances worsened each passing day and she often pondered over ending her life. She said she had three children, two boys and a girl. “I come from a humble background but want to live and die with dignity. They (husband and in-laws) often used to beat me but I did not tell my parents about my life there,” she said.
Shahida said one day her husband lost money in gambling following which he forced her to get Rs 50,000 from her parents otherwise he threatened to divorce her. When her parents could not arrange the amount, he beat her up brutally and later told her he would sell their son Adnan to arrange the money. “At this point my parents arranged for a divorce and now I work at a factory to feed my children,” she said.
Nasreen Bibi from Bhati Gate is mother of five daughters and her story is not much different from Shahida’s. She told Pakistan Today that she was born into a poor family. Her marriage turned out to be as disastrous as anyone could imagine. “My husband, who was not well-off either, wanted me to work as a prostitute so I could make money for him,” she said, starting her tale of misery. “Things got so bad that I eventually succumbed to his demands and entered the business,” she continued. “But whenever I’m alone I find myself crying at my fate,” she said. Nasreen is now a professional prostitute and the lone source of livelihood for her daughters and husband. Her husband, who is seriously ill now, relies on her income for his treatment. “No one helps you unless they want something in return. It’s money alone that can bring light to extinguished fates. For centuries, men have treaded women under their feet. Unless they are rich, women are just machines that pop out babies and warm their partner’s beds,” said Nasreen.
Ghazala from Chowk Yateem Khana said she had been put behind bars for a month after being found guilty of theft at the house where she worked as a maid. However, she showed no regret for doing what she did. “I did it for my children,” she said. “My husband is a good for nothing who only knows how to make babies,” she added. Her son had been ill for a long time and despite repeated pleas, her employers were unwilling to help her, she said. “I am not sorry for what I did. I can do anything for my children,” she stated, justifying her actions. “Women whose husbands don’t work will continue ending up in jails or die trying to make ends meet. They will forever remain desperate and helpless”.
CHANGE THAT BEGINS FROM WITHIN:
Talking to Pakistan Today on the plight of women in Pakistan and how it could be improved, Justice (r) Nasira Iqbal emphasised the need for a change in people’s mindset. “First and foremost, a change in mindset is required,” she said. She singled out poverty as the major reason behind the current situation. Better and improved sources of employment will go a long way in alleviating the society of this plague, she insisted. “Men who assault women are cowards. They are psychologically ill and mentally challenged,” she said, adding that “they sexually assault women because they know there will be no legal action”. Justice Nasira was of the opinion that men with dignity and courage know better than to assault their women.
DISTRIBUTING LAPTOPS NOT THE SOLUTION:
She emphasised the need for education in villages and rural areas of the country where women were considered as livestock. “The condition of women in our country is extremely poor and it cannot be improved unless cheap access to education is made available for all. This goal can not be achieved by mere rhetoric of a ‘Parha likha Punjab (a literate Punjab)’ or by distributing laptops to students,” the judge said. “Article 25-A of the 18th amendment clearly states the provision of free education to all citizens between the ages of five and 16. The law has been passed and it is time for the provinces to implement it in letter and spirit. It is easy to make laws but much more difficult to implement them,” she stated.
Justice Nasira pointed out the Supreme Court’s role in the past few years in providing relief and justice to scores of helpless and vulnerable women in the country. “Perhaps it was the prayers of these women that helped reinstate the chief justice after he was illegally dismissed in 2007,” she said.
She further talked about the importance of local government and the role it can play in Pakistan to solve these issues.