Government not doing much to enhancing the position of women in the male-dominated society of Pakistan
RAWALPINDI: Nowadays women are facing serious and threatening problems in Pakistan. Traumatic and dreadful issues are emerging which are physically and mentally affecting the lives of women. Many women are unable to get proper education due to early marriage, patriarchal system, male dominance, etc. Female literacy rate is very low in the erstwhile Fata and Balochistan. Also, women face many problems with regard to employment. Female doctors, business graduates, PhDs and many other highly educated people are sitting idle in their homes due to the fear of male dominance and sexual harassment at workplaces. Women are not being provided with an environment in which they can work without inhibition and fear. Women are not paid according to their calibre and responsibilities in their respective fields. Similarly, rape, forced pregnancies, beating, killing, acid attacks and forced marriages are common. All this is brutally affecting women across the nation.
Although the government has taken many initiatives for the wellbeing of women in Pakistan, they still haven’t been much effective till now. According to Article 25 (a)of the constitution, there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex. Special laws shall be made for the protection of women and children, says Article 26(2). Article 37 has given maternity benefits to women. There shall be separate model colleges for girls in every sector of the capital and the provinces. Qarz-e-hasanah is allotted for widows through the Benazir Income Support Programme. Women protection bill was also passed in 2006 for the wellbeing of women. Similarly, honour killing and badal-e-Sulah are also considered a crime according to the Criminal Law Amendment Act of 2005. Different NGOs are also working for giving equal rights to women. USAID has trained more than 12,000 women educators for the betterment of women.
However, government and private sectors are not putting much effort into women’s empowerment and for enhancing their position in the male-dominated society of Pakistan. There is also the need to improve the condition of women in rural areas where females are being physically and mentally victimised by the male power of the region. Their condition should be improved in order to maintain gender equality in Pakistan.
Sabeen Sohail
Published in The Express Tribune, October 5th, 2019.
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