Evolving effort: ‘Discriminatory laws, practices still exist’

Women’s Action Forum marks 33rd anniversary with fresh calls for equal rights.

ISLAMABAD: It was today in 1981, during General Ziaul Haq’s rule, that a young couple was charged and sentenced to death for marrying of their own choice. As a reaction to the incident, a small group of determined women met at Shirkatgah to raise their voice against the Hudood ordinance imposed in 1979 — that is when the Women’s Action Forum (WAF) was born.

September 16 marks 33 years of the organisation’s contribution towards working for legal, social, political and religious rights of women, labourers and religious minorities.

Issues raised by WAF include challenging discriminatory legislation against poor representation of women in government policies, sports and cultural activities, and violence against women.

Nageen Hayat, a founding member of the forum in the twin cities, told The Express Tribune that “Pakistani women have played a significant role in development in a country which is internationally maligned for its oppression of women and minorities.”

Along with horrific physical and psychological trauma inflicted on victims of acid attacks, domestic abuse, harassment at work places, militancy and religiosity, women still face discriminatory laws, she added.

WAF Karachi chapter founding member, Nasreen Azhar, said “It is gratifying to see that so many young women are now aware of their rights and are contributing to the development of the country.” She added that it was not very long ago when patriarchal mindsets were reflected in courts and judgments.

Parliamentarians, on the whole, are more supportive of women’s rights, and women members are playing a meaningful role in decision making and are realising that women’s perspective must be included in all matters of state, she said further.

However, Nasreen lamented that lingering anti-women customs and practices remain — the impunity for perpetrators of violence and more recently, a retrogressive and misogynistic militancy in the name of religion.

National Commission on the Status of Women Chairperson Khawar Mumtaz said “WAF has played a pioneering role in the battle against gender discrimination,” adding that a number of other groups and non-profit organisations have followed WAF’s footsteps to achieve the same objectives.

On its founding day today, WAF has urged the youth to come together and fight challenges for a progressive and peaceful Pakistan where equal rights can be enjoyed by all.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 16^th, 2014.