Tackling violence against women

As a longstanding partner of Pakistan, UK is committed to working for gender equality, women’s empowerment in Pakistan

The campaign “16 Days of Activism to Stop Violence Against Women”, began from November 25. According to a 2011 poll of experts by the Thomson Reuters Foundation, Pakistan is the third-most dangerous country for women in the world. More than 1,000 women and girls are murdered under the pretext of honour killings every year. Ninety per cent of Pakistani women suffer from some form of domestic violence.

Victims are often reluctant to speak up about physical or sexual abuse. If they do, they are seen as having lost their and their family’s dignity. As is often the case in the West, many rapes go unreported. Many Pakistani victims fear they will become worthless in the eyes of society. Many charitable organisations try to help empower women, but not all women take advantage of these resources. They fear about bringing dishonour to their families, or are not even aware that help exists. With female literacy at 36 per cent, many women are unaware of their rights. So this campaign is about highlighting these issues and what can be done about them.

Back in July, I had the honour of hosting a debate in Islamabad on the UK’s “Ending Sexual Violence” Initiative. The debate was part of a global relay of events being organised by 145 British diplomatic missions worldwide. It coincided with the Global Summit to End Sexual Violence in Conflict, hosted by William Hague in London on June 10-13, 2014. At our debate in Islamabad, I learnt from some prominent women parliamentarians and activists the important progress that has been made in Pakistan to prevent the horrific crime of sexual violence in the last few years. Four important bills have already been moved in parliament to protect women and strengthen their rights, including legislation on Prevention of Sexual Harassment in the Workplace, Acid Crime and Control, Prevention of Anti-Women Practices and Domestic Violence.

The British government wants to support all those who are committed to taking concrete action to remove rape and sexual violence from the world’s arsenal of cruelty. We are working with the government of Pakistan and various non-governmental organisations to support implementation of legislation tackling domestic violence, honour killings, sexual harassment, acid burning and unequal rights in marriage and inheritance. Over the last eight years, UK funding has helped to provide counselling and legal aid to 35,000 women victims of violence.

We are also working closely with Pakistan’s provincial governments and partners to empower women through education and economic means. By 2015, the UK will facilitate the advancement of over a million microfinance loans to poor women, helping them lift their families out of poverty. Four million children will have benefited from UK Aid’s education programmes, half of whom are girls. We believe that investing in women and girls is transformational — for themselves, their families and their communities.

Evidence suggests that the countries where women and men have equal rights are more productive and prosperous. As a longstanding partner of Pakistan, the UK is committed to working for gender equality and women’s empowerment in the country. Living free from violence is a human right. And a right is not what someone gives you; it’s what no one can take from you.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 27^th, 2014.

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