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Essay empowerment of women in Pakistan
Outline
1-introduction
2- Pakistan and women empowerment
3- Women in developed countries
4- Causes of women backwardness of women’s state in Pakistan
a) Lack of Access to Resources
b) Poverty
c) Illiteracy
d) Wrong interpretation of Islamic teaching
e) Unemployment
f) Deplorable Health Level
g) Patriarchal society
I- male-dominance and feudal system
II- horrific customs- Swara and Vani
h) Dowry system
i) Honor killing
j) Acid throwing
k) Sexual harassment
l) Discriminatory laws
m) Narrow-Minded Religious Approaches.
5- Bills and Act Passed so far by various Governments in Pakistan
a) Protection against harassment of women at workplaces Act 2010.
b) Prevention of domestic violence Act 2008.
c) women protection bill 2006
6- Suggestion of women empowerment
a- economically
b- sociologically
c- legally
7- Conclusion
It is beyond any doubt that women are an integral part of society and play significant role in the development of a country. History bears the testimony to the greatness of women being a prominent member of society. In the current scenario women have stood shoulder to shoulder with men, but unfortunately their efforts have not been recognized by the society. In the name of customs, rituals and practices they are being deprived of their legitimate and fundamental securities. Consequently women are found in worse state. Beside this, various governments in Pakistan have passed different Bills and Acts to empower and strengthen the women, and tried to implement them, but they could not practically enforce them. The need of the hour is to give essential securities to women which have been ordained by Islam and to empower them in social, political and economic spheres. Therefore Pakistan desperately needs mass movement which can pull it out from the quagmire of the social and economic crisis.
The Pakistan was formed on the basis of two nation theory and Islamic Ideology due to which it is called “Islamic republic of Pakistan.” ,but it could not provide due protections to its most populated community of women. Although the constitutions of Pakistan under the Article 25(1), 25(2), 27 and 35 explain the status of women, yet the state has never been seen to be serious in the provision of basic securities of women. In addition to it, Pakistani society on one side considers women as the center of attention and life, but on the other side regard them not more than a secondary citizen. For the years the role that women played as citizen, as a family member and for maintenance of home, has been highly undermined today, and it has turned into tradition to degrade their abilities and competencies. The ill-educated scholars and pseudo-fundamentalists have converted the teaching of Islam to be best read for the interest of women and spaced the gender discrimination. Despite this Pakistani women have proven themselves in very fields.
The lives of Pakistani women have been changed during the past thirty years and they are more powered and emancipated than that they were ever before. They are taking interest in doing jobs and participating at the workplaces and legal places. But they have not been empowered than the women in developed countries are.
With the passage of time and economical growth women have attained high liberty in the developed countries. Therein they enjoy the equal rights. Women have acquired such status because of the high literacy rate, better infrastructure, enlightenment and sincerity of the ruling class.
Pakistan cannot meet the global standards of women’s rights unless it comes up with solutions of the major factors responsible for the backwardness of women’s state. Let’s see the major causes responsible for the abysmal state of women in Pakistan.
In Pakistan women are lacking in access to the resources which are vital to lead a good and balanced life. Such as education, inheritance, justice, healthcare, nutrition, financial and social supports etc. it is world-wide acknowledged that poverty and low status is awarded to women.
Pakistan inherited the curse of poverty from its inception and yet facing it. This problem restricted the women to acquire their basic needs and necessities of life. As everything demands money. Therefore due to insufficient money their families cannot fulfill their basic demands of foods, education and health and they are hardly to meet their nutrition needs.
Besides this, illiteracy is another factor of the disastrous situation of women. Women are less educated than the men in Pakistan. They literacy rate of women is 36 per cent as compared to the literacy rate of men which is 64 per cent. Girls and boys schools ration is 4 and 6 respectively. The women of rural are more illiterate and unaware than the women of urban. Education facilities are less available in rural areas than the urban areas. Due to this society has snatched their securities.
Also religiously some of the people are of the views that Islam does not permit the women or girls to step beyond the walls of the house. The modern education will make them irreligious and party girls instead of making them a house and pious wives. That is why the Taliban is blasting in the schools of the Swat and northern areas of Pakistan. Ironically Islam entitles them to acquire education. The Holy Prophet (PBUH) said,
“Education is mandatory on Muslim men and women”.
Moreover in Pakistani society women are denied from doing jobs to earn their livehood. Due to social and cultural constraints and gender bias women are lacking in opportunities. In the labor market there are no supporting facilities such as transport, accommodation, safety and encouragement for the women. Consequently labor market provides more opportunities to men than the women. In some of the family do not permit their daughters, sisters and wife to work in such unsafe environment.
Women health indicators of Pakistan are among the worst in the world. Pakistan is among the countries where expectancy of women’s life is lower than that of the men. The female- infant mortality is lower (85 per 1000 live births) than the male-infant mortality (82 per 1000 live births). More than 40 percent women of the total women are anemic. Maternal mortality is still high, 4 women in every 38 women die due to pregnancy related causes. The lower women’s health status is the result of lower social, cultural status. Improper food distribution leads to the deficiencies in the female children; early marriages of girls, excessive childbearing and illiteracy have affected the women’s health.
In the patriarchal society of Pakistan men’s physical strength and false sense of superiority as against the women’s weakness make them vulnerable to oppression. In this society man has enforced the law of the jungle where the stronger is the ruler and weaker is the lead live at the mercy of the strong. In these societies women are mere the symbols of honor and dignity of a family. They are considered private property of men. Feudal society has confined the women in the walls of the house to save “their honor and dignity.” They have made their own laws in the name of tradition and customs. These laws and customs underestimate the women and abolish their legal and legitimate and religious securities and protection. Under these customs women have not right to marry with their choices, to acquire education and they are under control of men, and they tolerate oppressive norms in the name of morality.
Swara and Vani are such type of heinous customs which are upheld by the stone- minded person. In both of customs a minor girl is given as compensation for the perpetrated wrongdoing by the culprit’s family. The girls as young as 10 are married to men of 60 years old under these customs. These customs are similar to the customs which were used by the Arabs before the Islam’s arrival, where the sisters were given as compensation for the committed sins of their families. Such custom are highly prohibited by the Islam.
Dowry system is another form of social and cultural practices. It is hardly any family in the Pakistan in which this system is not followed. Not a single day passes without the death caused by the dowry. The pages of the newspapers are full with the stories of women torture who bring the insufficient dowry. Families create worst situation and force the brides to commit suicides. These families kill the brides and blackmail the paternal families and demand more dowry. If a maternal family of bride fails to meet demands of the in-laws then brides are given divorces. In fact women are entitled of dowry instead of the men. Islam provides an adequate dowry to women at the time of her marriage and save upgrade her status. These practices are upheld because of the distance from the Islamic teachings. The Allah Almighty says in the Glorious Quran,
“And give the women (on marriage) dowry as a gift………” (4:4)
Honor killing is another social and cultural tradition found in some parts of Pakistan. In these practices women are killed in the name of honor. It is known as karo- Kari in the Sindh. Under these practices men kill their daughters, sisters, and wives in order to restore the reputation of their families. If a woman is found to be indulged in immoral behaviors, in friendship and sexual relations to men, or refuses to arrange marriage, or demand the divorce from her husband, or a being raped by a man , then they are killed by cruel men. Islam does not allow for honor killing. It protects the women from being killed. The Quran says,
“Do not kill a soul which Allah made sacred except through the process of Law.”
Sexual harassment is another one of the abuses that women are facing in the Pakistan.
In Schools, Colleges, Universities, and other government and private sectors women are sexually compelled by men. The rape is growing crime in the Pakistan. Rape scandals and women violence crimes are explicitly found in the newspapers. Which are the evidences of the dreadful state of women and expose safety of women nowhere in Pakistan.
Acid throwing is another factor that inflicted on women. The reason includes women’s refusal of marriage or denial of friendship, husband doubt that his wife is indulged in sexual relations with other men, wife demand for divorce, and in some cases it is done to take revenge. But it is carried out mostly when a man proposes to girls for friendship or marriages and when she says “no”; then the best way to take revenge from her is to throw acid on her face. Maria Shah of Shikarpure who was the midwife, on his face acid was thrown by Arsalan Sanjrani when she refused to marry him.
The discriminatory laws were introduced as a part of process of Islaminization by Zia-ul-Haq in his military regime. Hudood ordinance equated the rape with adultery. The law of evidence (Qanoon-e-Shahadat) of 1984 made testimony of two women equal to one man in the financial transactions. There are considerable evidences that these legislations in spite of giving securities and valuable status to women impacted negatively one lives of women and made them vulnerable to extreme violence. Many women are imprisoned under the Hudood ordinance.
Islam is a comprehension religion. It guides the human beings in every sphere of life. It equates the women with men and provides equal status to women. But the ill-educated and conservative Scholars have interpreted the teachings of Islam in the best favor of males. They neglect status of women in every matter of life. They confine and underestimate the women’s rights of inheritance, education, marriage by consensus of marrying couple, divorce or Khulla, vote ,and expression of opinions.
To wipe out illegal and wicked customs, practices, and traditions, various governments in Pakistan passed different Bills and Acts in their regimes. The purposes of passing these bills and Acts were to protect the women from sexual harassment, domestic violence and other social and cultural oppressions.
Protection against harassment of women at workplaces Act 2010 is one the legislations passed in the recent past to prevent women from harassment, abuse, and intimidation at workplaces. The harassment is the biggest abuse that a woman faces at the workplaces. Due to this women hesitate to work at workplaces. This bill provides equal opportunities to women of participating in economic fields and to bring their families out of the curse of poverty. The intention behind this bill is to meet the standards of international labor.
Prevention of domestic violence Act 2008 is another legislation passed to protect women and children from domestic violence and oppression. This bill consists of the committees and officials. In accordance with this bill if anyone is found in sexual compelling, violence to women and children, will be liable to three years in prison or pay the fine of 500,000 Rupees. The bill includes all public places such as market, public transport, streets and parks, and private gathering and homes.
In 2006 the former president of Pakistan Pervez Musharaf proposed the amendment in the Hudood ordinance of 1979 and women protection bill was passed by the National Assembly, allowing the rape to be prosecuted under civil law.
Hence these above mentioned all Bills and Acts have been promulgated in the Pakistan but their practical implementations have never been seen. Women are in the same state as they were before. They are facing oppression, violence, abuse and inequality in their status and rights. Same heinous and wicked customs and cultural practices are in their original forms. Same sexual harassment and rape scandals are observed and clearly be seen in newspapers and Media. It seems that women cannot be equal in Pakistan. But nevertheless women can be equal in Pakistan if certain recommended suggestions are met in the economic, social and political fields.
Economically, firstly it is essential to identify causes and factors that keep the women subservient to men. Among them the most critical common factor is men wield power to keep a woman under his thumb. So power must be shared between the two. Joint ownership in agricultural land and other movable and immovable assets should be made compulsory for the house-wives in particular. Income and wealth earned by a woman should be her own property. Men should have not right over it. Secondly daughter’s right of inheritance along with her brother should be ensured legally and its denial should be protected from being usurped by the husband and the in-laws. Thirdly public sector policies, programs, and project should be equally favorable to men and women. There should be no discrimination.
Sociologically, the dreadful and heinous customs in Pakistani society will continue to have as long as the feudal system is not buried deep down from where it never be able to pop up. This system has been entrenched in our society. This system will be eradicated in the walk of revolution. Another factor that is in dire need of reform is education. Our educational system provides less opportunity for women of acquiring education. Women schools and institution of education are in lesser number than that of men have. If our country and Government show sincere dedications and commitments of promoting the women’s educational status, then nobody can deprive of women from their social, political, economical and legal rights. It is the duty of the media that it should play a prominent role in creating awareness of rights and education among the women. Besides it, NGO should spring up like the mushrooms throughout the country to empower women.
Legally, it goes without saying that various Bills and Acts of empowering the women have been passed in the recent past, but their practical implementations have not been seen yet. It is quite common in Pakistan that laws are put on papers, but there is little will of governments and ineffective mechanism to enforce them. The need of hour is that public should compel Government to enforce those pro-women laws into implementation so that the destructive customs could be eliminated from our society.
By summing all the discussion it can be said that Allah created human beings and divided them in genders. Both are created to assist each others in every walk of life and to lead a happy and comfortable life. It is evident from history that women are essential participants of society and are the key factors of nation and country development. But due to poverty, social inequality, and destructive customs in Pakistan restricted women from being empowered and made disastrous state of women. Ill-educated scholars, feudal, and male-dominated society never accepted the sacred status of women; they underestimated and confined their rights. Besides, the governments have legislated different laws to empower women but their implementations are negligible. But nowadays lives of women have been changed and there are more empowered than they were ever before.