Domestic violence, dowry deaths, acid burning and violence against women in custody have become rampant
ISLAMABAD: I want to draw attention towards domestic violence in our country. Every day, there are news reports of women and girls being beaten and abused. Many of them are abused in their homes by their own family members and some are harassed by security personnel that are meant to protect them. Violation of rights is demonstrated in several ways, including domestic violence, dowry deaths, acid burning and violence against women in custody. God gives equal rights to men and women so why, then, is our society against notions of equality? Violence is more common in strict, conservative families and tribal areas. In 2002, Mukhtaran Mai, a 28-year-old woman in Punjab, was gang-raped in front of her villagers as per the decision by a jirga for alleged wrongdoing by her 12-year-old brother.
Many women in Pakistan live in an environment of fear. It is important that people are made aware of human rights as highlighted by Islamic teachings. The government and the people of Pakistan should take part in controlling violence against women. NGOs also need to play an effective role in this regard. The role of religious leaders is also vital to the cause because they have easy and regular access to a wide range of followers. There should be workshops, training programmes and seminars in which religious scholars should be invited to discuss problems related to women’s rights. The electronic media is a very effective and influential tool, both for the government and women’s right activists, to spread awareness about women’s rights issues.
Nusrat Javed
Published in The Express Tribune, December 9th, 2015.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
