Contents
1. Introduction
2. Aims And Objective
3. Research Methadology
4 Cultural Sharks
I. Ghag
II. Bride Paisa
III. Watta Satta
5.Rejection Of Domestic Violence Bill
6. Violence And Deteriorating Health
7. Violence In Custody Of Police
8. Forced Religious Conversions of Minors
9.Conclusion
10. References
1. Introduction
Gender based violence can be defined as “harmful acts aimed towards individuals based on gender, specifically women”. It is considered to be the most horrific human rights violation, globally. Although gender based violence is not restricted to women alone, the focus will be only women in this research and the types of violence they endure. These includes things such as
Physical injuries
Psychological disorders
Suicide
Unwanted pregnancies etc.
In some parts of Pakistan, especially the rural areas, gender based violence seems to prevail at an alarming rate compared to the urban areas. This is mainly because rural areas tend to follow a patriarchal system, where there is no one to question men when it comes to the harsh and unjust decisions made for women. Neither is there anyone in said areas to question these practices as it is a norm for them.
Whereas, cities such as Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad have been observed to have a comparatively less discriminatory gender system. This is primarily because higher classes normally reside in these areas and the people there are more aware and educated.
Additionally, this is also one of the reasons why awareness campaigns revolving around such grave issues have a tendency of working successfully and bringing about positive outcomes in urban areas while the same cannot be said for rural areas, unfortunately. The rigidness and low education rate in rural areas plays a significant role in these people being non-compliant and thus, the women in the area are subjected to a life of oppression and abuse.
Although, there are still many campaigns and NGOs in place to help victims of gender based violence, it is still an issue that cannot be completely overlooked. As it still exists in the society and turning a blind eye towards it will not benefit anyone, especially the individuals that are already suffering.The state itself should be more involved with these issues and should regulate and adjust laws by involving the law making bodies and should set proper and strict punishments for such heinous crimes. A proper system of law and order must be in place if we need to see gender peace prevail.
2. Aims & Objectives
The aim of this study is to identify the root causes and their effects concerning gender based violence in Pakistan. The study also deals with different areas of Pakistan where the issue seems to exist at a larger scale and is still uncontainable. And the same assessment will be made for urban areas where such issues are reported at a much lower rate, comparatively.
3. Research Methodology
The sources for the information contributing to this research paper are articles, various case studies and surveys. Publication houses such as Dawn and The News have also been used as a source to gather additional information.Existing research and media sources mainly only focus on women living in urban areas.
However, in case of Pakistan two thirds of women live in rural area where all kinds of accessed specially technological has been restricted for them. Moreover, it is has been observed that these women in rural areas are also not paid for the tasks they performing in farming andhouseholds.The gaps that have been identified in gender-based violence prevention are
: Education
Cultural practices
Unsafe employment
Societal pressures
Inadequate public health resources etc.
The biggest issue in solving the problem of Gender based violence in Pakistan is that domestic abuse is often considered a private matter that should stay inside the house rather than it being discussed in courts. To make matters worse, a legal bill condoning domestic abuse was put forward in the National Assembly but unfortunately this bill did not pass.Cultural challenges play a key role in preventing women from getting the help that they need.A reported issued by the United Nations on April of 2021 stated that (5870/391 364) which makes up about 1.5% police officers are female in Pakistan. Gender discrimination also happens to be apparent in law enforcing agencies. Therefore, there needs to be careful monitoring of such instances so that gender discrimination can be prevented.The authorities of Pakistan are often met with a critical challenge due to the poor conditions of public healthcare sectors. There should be a system of zero tolerance towards gender discrimination in the medico-legal system.
4. Cultural Sharks
Throughout the course of history certain behavioral patterns are formed which take the shape of cultural norms. As Pakistani citizens, our pride is centered on how well we are able to promote our culture and praise it. Sadly, not all aspects of culture are always worthpromoting.Based on a survey done by Reuters, Pakistan ranked as “sixth most dangerous and fourth worst in terms of economic resources and discrimination as well as the risks women face from cultural, religious and traditional practices” in the world for women.Gender-Based Violence includes acts such as:
Sexual violence
Harassment
Intimate partner violence
Domestic violence
Harmful traditional practices etc.
In case of traditional practices, the data is harder to find since most cases of violence especially that of domestic violence and rape go unreported. This is mostly because they are culturally believed to harm a woman’s “honor”. Other reasons for this include cultural acceptance and tolerance towards such issues.Following are some of the many cultural practices aiding gender based violence in Pakistan:
I. Ghag
Ghag is a Pashtun tradition which refers to an announcement or proclamation made either with verbal cues or through visible representation. This is done mainly by members of a community that are male. Its primary purpose is to invoke a claim of marriage on young girls or women.The custom was deemed unlawful by the KP Provincial Assembly under the KhyberPakhtunkhwa Elimination of Custom of Ghag Act 2013. The Act is based on 9 provisions dealing with substantive and procedural elements.The Statute states “[A] custom, usage, tradition or practices whereby a person forcibly demands or claims the hand of a woman, without her own or her parents’ or wali’s will and free consent, by making an open declaration either by words spoken or written or by visiblerepresentation”.Unfortunately, the provisions of the Act are only applicable in KP regions and any region outside KP is not bound to act in accordance with these provisions. As a result, these practices still remain intact in certain areas of Pakistan.
II. Bride paisa
It is a tradition that goes back 3000 years. The practice of this tradition involves the groom or his family paying the family of bride in the form of livestock, money or other valuables. This is done to ensure the future of labor inputs of the bride and also her unborn children.It can be perceived as a form of trafficking. It portrays the bride as an object that is devoid ofemotions of any feelings whatsoever.The alarming and disturbing aspect of this practice is that the bride can be later sold or resold to other people (men) for a higher value.
III. Watta Satta
Predominantly evident in the provinces of Punjab and Sindh, the practice is based on a marriage where brides are exchanged between two families. It is thought to strengthen ties between the two families through this practice.This particular practice can be clearly observed in the federally administered northern areas at17.5 percent, Punjab at 13.5 percent, Balochistan at 12.5 percent, FATA at 12 percent and Azad Jammu & Kashmir at 8.5 percent.
5. Rejection of Domestic Bill
During the government of PTI, Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari had proposed a bill under the name The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection). The bill aimed at providing security and safety to victims of abuse and violence, primarily. The bill was passed by the lower house the same day it was proposed and was referred to the Senate. The bill was rejected in the Senate by opposing parties and it moved up to the relevant standing committee for further deliberation.The Bill invited a lot of controversy especially certain aspects of the Bill were thought to be“un-Islamic” in nature. The CII, relevant committee for the bill also raised objections on many aspects of the bill and eventually rejected it. A point worth considering here is that a bill was proposed by the CII themselves back in 2016 that states that a husband should be allowed to “lightly beat” his wife.The duality and hypocrisy that exists within the system itself is another reason why there are no standing competent laws to ensure the safety of women and thus, in extreme cases many women end up losing their lives.
6. Violence and Deteriorating Health
In Pakistan, domestic violence is emerging as a major public health issue at an alarming rate.The Human Rights Council issued a face-sheet recently where it stated that during an 8-month period, of the 372 women who reported domestic violence, 272 died as a result of theabuse.A number of health problems that affect women consists of injuries due to trauma, low birth-weight, gynecological disorder, depression and suicide, unwanted pregnancies etc. For the vast majority, the psychological effects are more impairing than the physical affects.Anxiety, fatigue, post-traumatic stress disorder, sleeping and eating disturbances are common among victims of abuse and these effects tend to be long-term.Additionally, women that have faced abuse become isolated and withdrawn as they try to hide the evidence of violence from others out of shame or even fear in some cases.The health consequences due to domestic violence and, especially its effect on the mental well-being of women in Pakistan needs to be investigated thoroughly in order to enable health planners and physicians to examine the reasons of the enormous burden of the deteriorating mental health among Pakistani women.
7. Violence in Custody of Police
Another grave issue that is not talked about enough and needs to be addressed properly is the violence towards woman in police custody. Studies show that around 70 percent women are subjected to sexual assault or violence within custody. Sadly, none of the perpetrators responsible for these heinous crimes were ever punished. Custodian violence often goes unreported due to the fear of retaliation.The very agencies that exist to protect people and provide them with security fail to keep the one they are holding in custody safe. No measures for the accountability of such institutions can be observed either. There is no way to report and get the perpetrator punished in such cases since they are not taken seriously or they are never investigated properly to begin with.
8. Forced Religious Conversions of Minors Minorities in Pakistan, especially those belonging to a different religion live in constant fear.This is because many cases of forced conversions especially in case of women have been reported over the years. The conversions alone are not what is horrific rather it is the fact that minor girls are first converted to Islam by force and then they are forcefully married. Asian Human Rights Commission reported that, every year at least 1,000 Pakistan girls that belong to other religions are forced into Muslim marriages and forcibly made to convert Islam.
9. Conclusion
The increasing cases of gender-based violence are a product of male-functioning of state machineries. When law enforcing institutions are also engaged in the abuse of women and the judiciary system does not provide justice to women and when parallel informal justice system consist of mal-chauvinist tribal leader operates, then women are easily subject of violence without getting any justice.Violence against women is a human rights issue and by taking the human rights approach,the mechanism of state and state actors can be made responsible for such violation of rights even if they occur in the private domain of family and community. The serious and firm actions of status apparatus and state actors can reduce somehow the occurrence of violence against women. However, In order to eliminate violence against women, patriarchal system has to be changed which can be achieved by strengthening the social, political and economic position of women.
10. References
1.https://revistia.com/files/articles/ejser_v4_i4_17/Hadi.pdf
2.https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/abs/pii/S0020729299000351
3. https://www.business-standard.com/article/international/pakistan-s-islamic-council-haltslegislation-on-domestic-violence-bill-121071000094_1.html
4. https://www.dawn.com/news/1633531
5. https://rsilpak.org/2022/the-cultural-sharks-of-gender-based-violence-in-pakistan/
The author is Nawal Asim Khan, currently doing her Bachelor’s in Peace and Conflict Studies from NDU. She mostly write about intra-state conflicts and societal conflicts. Over the span of her two years in university she wrote multiple research papers on various different conflicts.