A welcome step

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This refers to the article “The dark side of policymaking for women in Pakistan” by Shaheera Syed (Pakistan Today, March 18). It is a nice step that the Women’s Protection Act, passed by Pakistan’s largest province of Punjab, gives unprecedented legal protection to women from domestic, psychological and sexual violence. It is a welcome decision that the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act 2016 seeks to set up a women’s force at district level throughout the province which would respond to women’s complaints of physical, financial or psychological abuse.

Violence against women has been criminalised in Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) which is a federal law. Acts of domestic violence are also an offence under various sections of PPC, and punishments for these have been prescribed in this federal law too. Domestic abuse, economic discrimination and acid attacks has made Pakistan the world’s third most dangerous country in the world for women.

There have been repeated attempts and continued efforts by women and men parliamentarians for reform of existing laws and new positive legislation for women. Over the decades, successive laws have also sought to improve the position of women, but implementation has been lacking.

The Pakistan government is coming under increasing pressure to take a re-look at the law that seems to have caused a major uproar among the religious community in Pakistan. If the said bill is passed, it will definitely help to recognise the equality of women in spite of religious dogma, patriarchal culture, cultural taboos and traditions regarding the unfair treatment of women and girls. It will also fundamentally change the traditional power equation between men and women, something which the religious lobby will find hard to tolerate.

VINOD C DIXIT

Ahmedabad, India

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