by : MURTAZA BALOCH
Pakistan, as a state, is crippling under a myriad of challenges, including a poor economy, poor literacy rates, regional stability, political concern, and inadequate infrastructure. Yet, one issue remains unheard and unsolved: our failure to protect women and girls from abuses, rapes, and sexual assaults. This crisis is a major reason why Pakistan is considered one of the worst countries for women. Harassment, rapes, and abuses against women are still among those rare crimes where the victim is projected as the offender and wrongdoer, while criminals are celebrated. Abolishing patriarchy is the first step toward creating a women-friendly Pakistan, and we must take complete responsibility to address this menace.
A 15-year-old maid was continuously raped by 8 men for 5 days in Faisalabad. She had been left to die a slow, poisonous death after being continuously raped. According to the latest data, over 63,000 cases of Gender-Based Violence (GBV) were registered in 2022. In Punjab alone, 3480 reported cases of women killed in the name of ‘Honor’ occurred between 2011–2023. However, thousands of such cases go unregistered and overlooked. A recent study conducted in Punjab and Sindh revealed a massive 40% increase in GBV cases. Currently, women have only 16% participation in the economy of the country, 2% land ownership, and 60% lesser net enrollment in the education sector of Pakistan. One-third of women undergo mental health issues, 21% of girls undergo child marriage, and 1000+ pregnancy-related deaths occur.
Excessive male dominance, gender inequality, and patriarchy make it harder for women to come out and talk on the issue openly. CLASS APARTHEID exists in Pakistan, and we see it daily before our very own eyes. We are all complicit in and beneficiaries of this unequal system. Patriarchy is exploitative. It has ruined women’s lives, distorted men’s sense of self, led us to World Wars, colonialism, and slavery, and still perpetuates inequality and gender apartheid to this very day. Often, we justify rapes using pathetic terms like: “Men have uncontrollable sexual urges,” or “she’s provocatively dressed so is she asking for it.” This kind of victim mentality leads to more such cases but no solution.
One of the most absurd ideas to eliminate rape, abuse, and domestic violence against women is death penalty and capital punishment or to execute the perpetrators. In my view, this may work as a painkiller but will never work as a feasible and long-lasting solution. This will never go away until and unless we create safe spaces for our women and girls, educate our men, and launch public campaigns to counter this menace of domestic violence and abuse against women and girls. Initiatives like good touch and bad touch in schools can serve as a catalyst to eliminate this issue from the very root cause, which capital punishment or executing the perpetrators could never do.
We must make robust laws and work on implementing them in such cases so that our sisters, mothers, and wives feel safe around every corner. Moreover, we must increase women’s participation in every public forum to improve their confidence and make them sure they are as strong as men and to eliminate this menace of gender apartheid. This crisis won’t go away until we take a vow to make our homes, schools, colleges, roads, and all public spaces safer for women.
Pakistan cannot progress while half its population suffers under patriarchy and inequality. Still, patriarchy is justified and its wrongdoings in order to keep women marginalized in this country. We must shatter the silence surrounding women’s suffering by creating a safer, more inclusive society for everyone. Only then can our sisters, mothers, and wives live peacefully, free from the fear of abuse, rape, and violence. Let us vow to educate, legislate, and advocate until Pakistan becomes a place where women and men stand as equals.
The author is student and can be contacted on aliulmurtaza052@gmail.com
