KARACHI:
In an interview with Jonathan Swan on HBO Max, Prime Minister Imran Khan made some glaring remarks that caused a stir on social media. It has also been the topic of countless debates since then. The PM said, “If a woman is wearing very few clothes, it will have an impact on men, unless they’re robots. I mean it’s common sense.”
I would like the Prime Minister to enlighten me and those that have been victims of abuse about the logic behind this statement. How can sexual violence be justified merely on accounts of dressing and impulse control? Are men really that weak and apathetic that a slight show of skin would distract them into committing horrendous acts of sexual violence? If this were the case, then why are the victims of rape often teenage boys, burqa-clad women and minors? God declared humans as ashraful makhluqat (the noblest of all creations). This means that we are superior because of our ability to think and act. Therefore, we must surely possess the ability to control our impulses. Rape cannot be justified under any circumstances. It has no substantial connection with dressing; it is instead rooted in social and psychological causes. Rape is about power and dominance. This is why feminists in Pakistan have long been proclaiming that our society is highly patriarchal, where men have a privileged status that allows them to run the state and subjugate women. The feeling of power evokes feelings of entitlement over the weaker body.
Being a woman in Pakistan’s male dominated society is itself a daunting task. All women — no matter their age, dress or social class — have experienced some form of harassment or violence at some point in their lives. The need of the hour is to raise awareness in order to reform patriarchal attitudes, legal frameworks and sociopolitical institutions. The media needs to play a much greater role in this regard. Furthermore, we must adhere to Sustainable Development Goals and ardently commit to the UN Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) that Pakistan ratified in 1996. Moreover, the essence of a democracy needs to be respected and all citizens must be given their due rights, regardless of their gender. Holistic reforms must be taken at the grassroots level in order to rectify the “actual” cause of rape in our society and create hope for a better future.
Soha Nisar
Islamabad
Published in The Express Tribune, July 4th, 2021.
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