Killing for ‘honour’

It seems life, especially women’s, is like something lost and found. In the past five years, between 2014 and 2019, as many as 769 persons – 510 females and 259 males – have been killed in karo-kari (killed for honour) in Sindh. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan says in a report that during 2019 alone, 108 women had been killed for honour in the province. In most of the cases no legal proceedings took place, and in more than 90% cases where legal proceedings have been initiated, most cases are pending trial mainly because the police have not completed their investigations. Quoting the Sindh Ombudsman office, the HRCP says that of the 388 cases of harassment of women at workplaces filed with the Supreme Court, action had been taken in only eight cases.

These tragic facts show the apathy with which killing of young women and men is taken in our society and how it gives a nonchalant shrug to grave issues affecting women. Ironically, in the province, there is a predominance of male staffers in government departments dealing with exclusively women-related issues, so much so that even in the Sindh Women Development Department, women constitute a mere 28% of the total workforce. The minister concerned attributes the under-representation of women to a lack of suitable female candidates to fill positions in these departments, though she agrees that these departments should be staffed by many women and few men.

The provincial government has taken many steps to improve the lot of women, but there still remains much to be desired. Lax implementation of relevant laws, lack of political will, mismanagement of funds and inefficiency mainly account for its failure to properly address women’s grievances. In 2019, the Sindh Assembly enacted a law that recognised female farm labourers as formal workers entitling them to get several benefits. This law, like many other laws, is yet to be implemented. Women ought to be ensured safety and dignity.