Women’s rights rally: Senators chided for allowing bill to lapse

Express anger at parliament’s apathy towards female victims of abuse.

HARIPUR:

To protest against the lapse of the Women’s Rights Bill in the Senate, social activists staged a rally here on Saturday.

The rally started from Zafar Park and ended at Ayub Park after marching through different city roads. Speakers criticised the role of the Senate in the lapse of the bill.

They said that forced marriages, the customary traditions of vani, gender-based violence, deprivation of women from inheritance and marriages with the Quran and other anti-women practices are rampant in society and the upper house of parliament appeared to be a silent spectator.

They said the national assembly had adopted the bill 90 days back and it was sent to the Senate for discussion and adoption within the timeline.

The speakers lamented that the bill was allowed to lapse as senators were worried about increases in the divorce rate, which the speakers said was “the wrong impression”.

They said the time was not far when women would take to the streets and ask the senators why they supported anti-women elements and did not pass a bill meant to guarantee the protection of women from the excesses they had been suffering at the hands of men.

They said that they believe in equal rights for men and women and would continue their struggle till the moment when women of the country are protected against the discrimination that they have faced for decades. The speakers also referred to certain teachings of Islam in support of their viewpoint, as women were equal to men and enjoyed respect during the early period of Islam.

Published in The Express Tribune, December 11^th, 2011.