Implementing the protection of women law

Women in Pakistan have fought for their rights for decades, in a country where honour killings and acid attacks remain commonplace. But the recently passed Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Bill has redefined violence to include any offence committed against a woman, including abetment of an offence, domestic violence, emotional, psychological and verbal abuse, economic abuse, stalking or a cybercrime.

Scores of such cases surface every year and most perpetrators eventually walk scot-free. Therefore, questions are being raised about how effective the bill will be in rooting out such atrocities against women from our society. Oscar-winning filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid-Chinoy, whose documentary A Girl in the River: The Price for Forgiveness has been nominated for an Academy Award, believes sending people to jail might prove to be a deterrent against ‘honour’ crimes. In her interview with the CNN, she underlined the need to send people to jail and to make examples of them so that others may be forced to think of an honour killing as a serious crime.

However, in a society where feudal landlords are considered the demigods in their respective constituencies, will it be that easy to have a case registered against a powerful landlord or a politician who is accused of assaulting a poor farmer’s daughter? If the mere passage of a law was a solution to this enormous issue, everything would get better from the very day the legislation would come into effect.

Pakistan is not the best place for women - or men for that matter - to live in. From the corrupt police to a weak prosecution, our system offers ample opportunities for the assaulters to get away after committing horrible crimes. We have seen numerous incidents where the suspects were aided by the police at the time of registering the case, which eventually helps them get released on bail and multiply the risk to the victim’s life, as those who go unpunished are more likely to return with ensuing revenge.

A lot needs to be done on the grass-root level to realise Obaid-Chinoy’s dream. The government could start off with introducing police and judicial reforms with immediate effect, to help curb honour crimes as well as making sure the perpetrators are sent to jail. In order to do so, a strong political and moral will is required on part of those who are sitting at the highest echelons of the government. Awareness campaigns for the public may also come handy in consolidating the cause.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2016.