Rise in harassment

A recent report by the Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment has revealed that 5,008 harassment cases were registered between 2018 to 2022. For the past many years, Pakistan has constantly had a poor performance with regard to gender equality. Within the last three years, we have witnessed some of the most gruesome cases of sexual violence across the country. Yet women’s rights activists and groups regularly come under scrutiny and face backlash from different elements.

According to the report, 32% of women are victims of violence in gender-based crimes, and 40% of married women also face harassment. When these figures circulate on social media, several male and female users suggest that women should stay indoors and avoid leaving the house without male guardians. But this argument is redundant as girls and women experience physical and sexual abuse within their homes as well. Besides strengthening the law and enacting legislation against different forms of crimes against women, we need to dismantle the mindset that women’s bodies need to be controlled. Much of the harassment and abuse directed towards women stems from the idea that women’s roles are limited to maintaining community honour and upholding cultural values. However, these are patriarchal notions which deem women as inferior or secondary beings.

This is why honour killings, domestic violence and subsequent murders, rape and harassment are a persistent problem in Pakistan. In 2019, as many as 1,000 courts were allocated to cater to women’s cases. This coupled with efforts to empower women may have led to an increase in the number of cases reported. But the number of unreported cases is probably much higher. Evidently, Pakistan has a long way to go to improve equality and safety for its female citizens. Perhaps, the relevant stakeholders need to begin by training children and teaching them about equality from a young age.

Published in The Express Tribune, April 17^th, 2023.

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