Women in Pakistan - Country Report Presented at ISIS by Samreen 2010

COUNTRY REPORT

                                                                      Pakistan

Country Context

 Pakistan situated in South Asia region, possess history of thousand years civilization, rich cultural heritage and ethnic diversity.

 Pakistani  society is  traditional and conservative, where status of women considered feeble and dependant unit of society. 80% of population living in villages, where literacy rate is less, especially women have rare  opportunity to get education, in this scenario, women are not aware of their basic rights. They are under privileged entity because of worst socio-economic conditions of the country. In Pakistan, there are many social norms, customs, believes as well as laws are discriminating between male and female. Where there is discrimination between male and female since the inception of their birth. Female is considered as a weak and feeble entity. A burden before her marriage and dependant after   marriage.

In context of the issue Gender based Violence, Pakistan condition is miserable, The status of women in Pakistan varies considerably across classes, regions, and the rural/urban divide due to uneven socioeconomic conditions and the impact of tribal, feudal, and capitalist social formations on women's lives. Hhowever, government, civil society and other stakeholder of society trying to improve the situation, as women role across the world is changing now, women make the marks of excellence in every field of life, in Pakistan as a developing country of third world, 51% of women of total population emerge as progressive and prolific part of the society. The Pakistani women of today enjoy a better status than most Muslim and middle Eastern women. However, on an average, the women's situation vis-à-vis men is one of systemic subordination, although there have been attempts by the government and enlightened groups to elevate the status of women in Pakistani society. As Benazir Bhutto the first woman prime minister in the Muslim world and recently in addition to having 17 women senators and 76 women parliamentarians, it have South Asia’s first woman speaker of a national assembly.

Experience of Gender Base Violence

Pakistan’s founding father, Mohammad Ali Jinnah, said in a speech in 1944:

No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.

Now on contrary, present situation of gender balance in Pakistan is dismal; it is estimated that 70% of women in Pakistani are victim of domestic violence. Irrespective of their social status all women are fit in the same shoes to be in the feet of “male dominating society”. Gender Based Violence (GBV) is a multi-dimensional issue and requires strong grassroots level efforts and holistic approach from all stockholders. There is a  co-relation between GBV and traditional practices such as early marriages, infanticide or neglect in care, denial of education and basic human rights, traditional practices in  family structure, feudalism, forced marriages, teenage pregnancies, sex selective abortion, gender discrimination, honor killing, physical and mental torture, sexual abuse and exploitation.     

In Pakistan Women residing in rural areas and low-income urban neighborhoods are the victims of poor development planning almost in every field, lack of commitment and negligence, as a vast majority of women have little access to modern health services even basic health services, particularly during pregnancy and childbirth. It is fact that maternal mortality ratio in Pakistan is 276 deaths per 100,000 live births, though it is almost twice as high in rural than urban areas. Discrimination is given from the birth time. More importance to boy and little attention to girl. Boy receives cream from the father’s income and girls receive the rest and her mouth is shut by saying he has to support the family, he will be men. Married women situation is worst. They frequently receive vibrant taunts from the in-laws. If the women is from the poor family she will get life time taunts as she bought less dowry from her parents home. Girls even are not able to marry because the other party gives demands of dowry. It is misperception pertained in the society that respect of bride is measured by her dowry .Situation after marriage is worst. If the in-laws are not settled with the girl they even burn or murdered her. She becomes their maid. If not able to have a son she will start receiving words, “get out and leave this home”, “we will marry our son some where”. So women become mentally fragile and traumatize. Early age marriages, honor killing is also a dilemma in Pakistani society.

Types of Violence

Pakistani society is a male dominating, most of the customs, norms and laws do not support gender equality. Women suffered different kind and levels of violence.

Domestic violence is most common and it some extend it’s not suppose crime against women. In most of the families and tribes women do not have property rights. If women employee, they have lower income. Inequality in property and income give power to men. That power leads to subjugation and violence. Socio-Economic inequality leads to Gender-Based Violence, Pakistan is developing county, it also faces natural disaster, more recently flood rain disaster, that  highly effect women lives. Militarization and wars are also major cause of violence inside a home. In south Asia Region State like Pakistan, Sri Lanka, Afghanistan and Nepal, have been always in a warlike like situation. In Pakistan, Hundreds of armed personnel have been always put on high alert and life threat of suicide attacks, according to a research analysis that conditions leads to domestic frustration and violence. Pakistan is a forefront state of Global war on terror, its highly effects country law and order situation & socio- economic condition that again leads to disturb women lives and worst condition of GBV.  

Anti-violence Law

Anti Violence Law exists in Pakistan, most recently women protection bill has been introduce by government. The government is also taking administrative and legal steps, including, among others, the adoption of the Protection of Women Act in 2006, which had been hailed as a milestone. Government passed two significant bills on domestic violence and sexual harassment. This law was passed by the parliament. The Criminals Law Amendment Bill provides protection to women; it is focused on sexual violence. For domestic violence the offensive party has to heavily pay or have a life time jail. There are many forum like justice committee at local level, district safety commission, citizen police liaison committee where women can complain domestic violence but it’s a dilemma that these kind of system do not properly operational. Some laws do exist to protect women but does not implant at grass root level. Women protection Act & domestic violence bill are important step towards women rights in Pakistan; however its implantation is essential to meet its goal. These legislation need to be publicized and implemented with it soul. In Pakistan, we need to distinguish between laws and traditional customary practices. 
After independence, women in Pakistan continued to advocate women's political empowerment through legal reforms. They mobilized support that led to passage of the Muslim Personal Law of Sharia in 1948, which recognized a woman's right to inherit all forms of property. They were also behind the futile attempt to have the government include a Charter of Women's Rights in the 1956 constitution. The 1961 Muslim Family Laws Ordinance covering marriage and divorce, the most important sociologic reform that women  supported, is still widely regarded as empowering to women. Two issues, promotion of women's political representation and accommodation between Muslim family law and democratic civil rights--came to dominate discourse about women and sociologic reform. The second issue gained considerable attention during the regime of Zia ul-Haq (1977-88). Urban women formed groups to protect their rights against apparent discrimination under Zia's Islamization program. It was in the highly visible realm of law that women were able to articulate their objections to the Islamization program initiated by the government in 1979.This Hadood ordinance that introduce by that military regime also the religious scholars considered the law as a vital threat to the women dignity, this law expelled in November 2006 and emended as in new clauses called Women Protestation act. Though the law recognizes women’s issues on paper, there is a need to enforce laws designed to protect women and to reinterpret these in a progressive manner.

How SPO as in:

 Organizational Strategies and Responses to GBV

SPO (Strengthening Participatory Organization) believes on democratic, social just and tolerant society, it’s a gender sensitive organization that support in it program to women rights, women empowerment & gender equality. SPO program mainly focused on Right-based approach and democratic governance, social justice, peace & social harmony are interregnal parts of SPO programe.  For women, SPO under its programe output 2000, takes many initiatives for empowering women, in this regard, women groups have formed for action to achieve their equal social status and quality living conditions at grass root communities. Implement literacy skill development programe with women groups through local resource person (LRP:  woman, SPO selected from the community); SPO provides training on organizational & financial management, livelihood support (small grant) to women groups. SPO also address the issue of Gender and violence against women by doing advocacy and lobbying from grass root to policy making level.  The program aim is to support mechanisms largely in the public sector, and those devised by civil society in the areas of basic education, primary healthcare, livelihood support to women and relief and rehabilitation after natural disasters. The   activities related to women rights, different dimensions of women livelihood, empowerment and development are covered. This component deals with different inter-related strategies: recognizing women’s right to resources and their livelihood and literacy strategies; the challenge of democratic governance and provision of institutional systems to protect women from violence and discrimination. 

Communication Tools

SPO using to its work:

Learning session in community is a major tool of SPO advocacy work at grass root. SPO formed women group in community, who mobilize other women to participate in this sessions.  SPO design several posters, pamphlets, calendars and disseminate widely.  Due to low literacy rate,  pictorial material is being used for awareness sessions and advocacy activities. Using multimedia and projector to give presentation in local languages. Film, songs, drama are very interesting and effective tool of communication; SPO make use of that in training sessions. In training days,  celebration of  cultural night/event, in which, women participant deeply involve in formulate interactive theater drams, tablo them selves and presented. Several publications and discussion papers came out and disseminate widely.  Used  FM radio programs and announcements particular on these subjects.   SPO want to counter and prevent gender-based violence, therefore arranging dialogue and discussion to think about the reasons for violence in the society with all its complexities.

How SPO as a Gender Sensitive Organization?

Gender is cross cutting theme of SPOs programe. SPO initiate several programe and project specifically women Rights, empowerment & Women Political Education. SPO set criteria of partner organization while on selection process, in which women are highly prioritize at every level of development cycle.   Women are highly encouraged to applay whenever there is a job opportunity in SPO, position of front desk is nearly specify for women having physical disability. In SPO, women hold significant positions like chairperson of the organization, equal representation in SPOs Board and Gernal body, Chief operating officer, Auditor, finance, administration and management section & field officers.  SPO take several initiatives to bring gender equality within the organization’s systems and culture for instance conducting Gender training for all staff & follow-ups, formation of Gender Core groups and develop and implantation of SPOs Gender and Anti-Harassment Policies.

   

                                                                  Concluded

Samreen Ghauri

Pakistan

(The county report has been presented at ISIS International Activist school ,Manila, Philippine during three week course on   Re – Examining Gender Based Violence , strengthening Advocacy work, 24 October to 13 November 2010)