We just celebrated ‘International Day of the Girl’. It’s one thing to celebrate a day and another to see whether there’s more to commemorate or more to create a situation which is worthy of celebration. As far as girls of Pakistan are concerned, the latter seems more to be the case. As the United Nations details, “the day aims to highlight and address the needs and challenges girls face, while promoting girls’ empowerment and the fulfilment of their human rights”. The sentence is expansive and covers more than can be imagined. Girls and women, in particular, face challenges which are unique to their gender. In Pakistan, many – nearly 50 percent — are denied education just because they are girls. Vast majority of women in the workforce – about 75 percent — have no formal education, with only 32 percent women having education levels of intermediate and higher. In the rural areas and conservative setups of the urban in Pakistan, a girl child may not be sent to school simply because it is deemed unnecessary or an extra burden. And while primary and secondary education may still be provided, higher education may not be an option and going abroad for studies may be out of question. Efforts to promote girl education are also thwarted by extreme minds. Only few months ago, a dozen girl schools were torched in Diamer by unidentifiable assailants. In 2012, Malala Yousufzai, Pakistan’s second and the world’s youngest Nobel prize laureate and now an activist for female education, was fatally injured in the head when local Taliban had banned girl education in Swat. She now pursues her cause while earning higher education in one of the most prestigious universities of the world. According to rough estimates, over 20 million Pakistani women are engaged in home-based work in garment, embellishment, bangle-making, embroidery, carpet weaving, jewellery among many other crafts traditionally learnt by women. But just because they are home based women, they have no contract, less or no contact with mainstream workers, movements or trade unions. Such women are not even provided with tools for their work, nor does the price they are paid include the cost of their utility bill. And what they are paid is much lesser than the average wages earned by men. Not surprisingly, until last year, Pakistan was consistently ranked as the second last country in the Global Gender Gap Index.
At 22 percent in 2015, we also had the lowest female labour force participation rate in South Asia. The women who are educated and work in mainstream are still struggling to get to higher positions, mostly having to do with lower and middle tier jobs, with certain sectors like education and personal grooming an exception. Just because a child is a girl, she may suffer health issues — mental and physical, owing to shame, neglect and lack of priority. Any prolonged disease, if treated, may not be discussed owing to fear of losing marriage prospects. Mental issues, in particular, are kept under wraps. Poorer households with usually a large family to feed, tend to ignore minor ailments of their girls to focus on other needs. These minor issues often turn into major due to neglect. There is widespread and chronic malnutrition among women and young children, especially girls. According to a latest report, nearly 50 percent of female population of the country lacks participation in decisions regarding their health care. Women are at times not even allowed to undergo medical treatment or visit a doctor. The tribal and rural concept of child hood marriages and home deliveries is another reason why women remain undiagnosed of medical complications and later on suffer for the remainder of their lives, if spared. Girls, in institutions and even at homes, are at risk of abuse, both mental and physical. The worries and plight of harsh economic conditions is often spilled on daughters, who are seen as a source of burdening costs to be paid in the form of dowries. Young girls not having even reached teenage, are subjected to physical torture and sexual abuse by close relatives, but not even allowed to complain or inform, as it ‘harms’ the reputation of the family. The shocking case of seven year old Zainab last year did storm the nation enough to nab the culprit, but sadly, it was just the tip of an iceberg. The self-confessed murderer awaits his sentence to be carried on, although it has not served as a deterrent, for similar cases continue to emerge and many more remain unreported. When it comes to honour of the family, girls are usually easy targets. They are murdered, raped, paraded naked, forcibly married to avenge another’s crime. Any spark of independence is often frowned upon. The murder of social media sensation Qandeel Baloch two years ago by her own brother is a most poignant example. Coming back to the international day for girls, this year’s theme is With Her: A Skilled Girl Force. The United Nations, in its message, elaborates that “today’s generation of girls are preparing to enter a world of work that is being transformed by innovation and automation”. The UN aims to. expand existing learning opportunities for girls and chart new pathways for a successful transition into the world of work. A noble cause, the results would be more pronounced when basic issues are tackled first. When girls are given basic and equal rights as boys, when they are treated as human beings rather than on the basis of their gender, when provision of health, education, respect and freedom of decision making would be ensured, only then true empowerment may come. Learning of skills would be a bonus. |
