Swara in the second grade

Swara is an illegal practice that has been prevalent in provinces and tribal areas in Pakistan for decades. It has ruined the lives of many bright young girls who might have otherwise had successful futures, particularly in terms of education. Such is the case of an eight-year-old who, just in the second grade, has been promised with all of her innocence by her own family to another family in order to settle a long-time dispute, according to a report. And, just like that, her aspirations of becoming a doctor one day have been forced to extinguish. With Pakistan’s current statistics on the percentage of children dropping out after primary school, we certainly do not need such outdated, illegal practices to compound the problem, further robbing children of positive, productive futures.

Meanwhile, the police claim that they have been cracking down on such cases and arresting perpetrators. However, this does not mean the problem is being dealt with. The most effective way to eliminate the problem is to enforce laws, more strictly so in vulnerable areas, and make examples out of the men caught, for the likes of people who have the tendency to follow similar principles and practices. Those people must be rooted out and taught about basic human respect and human rights. Indubitably, it is a positive development that of late, the police have caught the progenitors of such unjust practices. However, more must be done at the judicial level so that the concepts are eliminated entirely from beliefs and practice.

The bottom line is that girls are not exchangeable commodities. They have a right to live freely, as does every human being. They also have a right to attend school. The experience of being traded in swara can traumatise a girl for life and it is important for practising tribes to understand the implications and impediments that swara places on a young girl’s free will so that one day, young girls can live in a free society.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 6^th, 2013.

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