essay- women empowerment in pakistan

WOMEN EMPOWERMENT IN PAKISTAN

West always raise fingers on suppressed women rights in Pakistan but before discussing whether women have the rights or not in Pakistan we should first understand that what actually the rights of women are.

DEFINITION.

The term women right refers to freedoms and entitlements of women and girls of all ages. These rights may or may not be institutionalized…

Pakistan is an Islamic society in which most of the practices are according to Islamic teaching and Islam has given equal rights to both men and women, whether it’s property or society in the eyes of Islam all humans are equal.
Islam has given equal right to women in getting education and the most important right that Islam has given to women is that the women can not get married without asking her will and consent.

Unfortunately in Pakistani society where we call ourselves Muslims but we are the one who are far away from Islamic teaching. Orally we all can say that we are Muslim but practically we are living our lives with out practicing Islamic teaching. If we want to discusses the rights of women in Pakistani society than it is divided into two categories.

URBAN WOMEN
RURAL WOMEN

WOMEN IN URBAN SOCIETY OF PAKISTAN

In 21st century women in urban society of Pakistan carries all rights, majority of women are getting education, working in different field of there interest side by side with men. Women in Pakistan are now working on the post of CEO’S, GT pilot, high post in Banks, doctors, engineer and what not women are free to go in any field now and complete her dream without any fear.

Urban side of Pakistani is not anymore backward, urban areas women are said to be called the super women they are not behind men in performing their responsibilities. Urbanization contribute much in adopting change in Pakistani society and with change the most important thing that happened is change in mind set of parents who previously considered their daughters as burdens but now its not like that anymore and due to parents encouragement and support women are working side by side with men and sharing the burden of society as equal partner.

Trend of early marriages is changing due to alteration in parents’ mindset. Now parents give their daughters the chance to live their life with freedom but in limits and in my point of view limit are very important for protecting the values and norms of our society.

Young girls in urban areas of Pakistan have passion to do something in their lives, to make their own identity stand on their own feet’s and do not become burden on parents after completing education. Most of the girls are working in different fields and trend is changing that girl can only adopt the profession of medicine is not any more.
Urban women are enjoying their rights although they have to face difficulties in work places, buses and from some conservative mindset people but all women are ready to cross all obstacles coming in there way of success and they all count these difficulties as minor problems. Women of urban areas do not think that what others are saying for them and they are on their way to success.

The rising inflation contributes much in women empowerment and now women are working to support their families in this time of inflation. It is not the time that one person can earn the bread for the whole family and remain dependent but now women are sharing the burden equally with men. In urban areas women are performing all duties with full responsibility and now society starts giving credit for all the achievement today women are doing. Pakistani working women try to balance between work and her family.

Because family is Allah blessing and to unite the family and look after for its need is the responsibility of women and because of them only family system in Pakistan is much stronger. In my point of view Pakistani women should be the best example for others that how to maintain balance between work and family which is necessary for making healthier and organized society.

WOMEN IN RURAL SOCIETY OF PAKISTAN

Pakistan rural areas are in hold of so called Zamindar, Jagirdars, Feudal lords who suppressed the rights of women and considered them as their property. Rural women are working in fields along with men and doing all household work but despite of all the sacrifices and contribution she carries no right and has no share in anything and her life remain property of men who are dominant member of society.

Women in rural areas of Pakistan are in worst condition may be there are 10 percent of women enjoying their rights but I am talking about remaining 80 percent of women those rights have been suppressed sometime on name of prestige, her life have been sacrificed on the name of honor killing and other illegal customs which have no place in Islamic teaching and are man made rules for women and make their life like hell. These women have no education nothing they are fully dependents on their men and this is the reason that they can not raise their voice against any injustice done with them and if they will be educated than they can say no to the violence and cruelty done with them on the name of so called manhood.

Rural men think that if they do not suppressed the rights of women and hold their lives in their hands than how they can say themselves that we are MEN and he has all the right to crushed the rights of women under her feet because women has given the right to them to do injustice with them because they feed them and give shelter for living. May be some of my readers will be against me that it is not true and if it is wrong than what about the case of Mukhtara Mai she was gang raped, Tasleem Sulangi and all such thousands of women killed on the name of honor are buried in Kari Graveyard built to give lesson to other women that not to think about living life according to your own will, and never raise voice in front of men for your rights and if some one did so than this Kari Graveyard will be your final destination.

Whatever Taliban government was doing with women of Rural areas were totally against Islamic teaching because Islam have given all rights to women and such illiterate people who want to dominate are using the name of Islam for fulfilling their evil designs.

Islam is such a religion in which women respect is so important that it can be proved from the saying of Prophet Muhammad that “PARADISE LIES UNDER MOTHER FEET” Lastly I can only say that women respect is necessary from every aspect and they should be given equal rights whether it’s Pakistani society or western. West instead of raising finger on violated rights of women in Pakistan should contribute its share in raising the standard of living of rural women built schools for them so that they all get education, vocational training should be established which can groom the inner abilities and provide the opportunities of earning to women of rural areas. In my point of view lack of earning opportunities and education is the main cause of violation of women rights. If women will be empowered then next coming generation will be educated and women can feel secure and can raise their voice against their rights without hesitation and fear.

So this proves that women empowerment is very important for the progress of a country and nation.

The State of Women Rights in Pakistan

Constitution of Pakistan guarantees the rights of women and do not discriminate in any sphere of life. The basis of Pakistani constitution is Islam; a religion that has secured the rights of women fourteen hundred years ago.

In Pakistan; Mukhtaran Mai, Dr. Shazia and various other women have been raised internationally because of the corrupt character of our moth eaten justice, social and political system. In order to avail political power, dictators like General Zia-ul-Haq tried to placate the fundamentalist Mullahs by launching Hudood Ordinance. The society is silent over social customs like Karo-Kari, Vaani, Swara and several other atrocities of the retrogressive people. Finally, the last hope, the justice system, is itself a victim of political interference.

Let us see why women rights are being denied and exploited in Pakistan, but before that, make it clear what are women's universal rights. In Article 25(1) of the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan it is stated, "All citizens are equal before law and are entitled to equal protection of law." Article 25(2) states, "There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone."

Islam guarantees an adult woman to marry according to her will. Even parents cannot force her to marry against her choice. Moreover, no person including parents, husbands, in-laws have the right to judge and decide the fate of women accused of being guilty of any crime. Courts are there in a civilized society to decide what is right what is wrong.

In addition to constitutional guarantee, 98% percent Muslims of Pakistan are morally binding as believer of Islam to fight evil and injustice, i.e., Amar Bil-Maroof Wanahi-o- Mankar. In this regard, they are binding upon at least to voice their concern as a Muslim who cannot tolerate evils of gross injustices going on women.

Despite the universal protection of Islam and the rights given by the constitution of Pakistan, women are the being abused by some atrocious elements of our society.

Politics in Pakistan is a game of holding power and doing everything whether right or wrong in order to secure that power. Women have been a victim of such a political game. General Zia-ul-Haq, after clinching power from Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto, enacted "Hudood Ordinances". Zia gave the impression to Islamize the country; however, the hidden truth was to prolong his tenure by making the religious extremist happy. Still the women are being crushed under the barbarity of Hudood Ordinances.

If a woman is raped, one of the conditions of the law requires that woman must provide for four pious Muslim witnesses for seeing the crime. Let for a moment condone that part of the law. But, the worst cruelty of the law is that in case of failing to provide witnesses, the rape victim will be charged of fornication; the punishment for which is stoning to death.

One of the examples from innumerous cases is that of an incidence of stoning to death to a blind girl in 1980s. Her only mistake was to report that she was raped. But, unable to provide for the four pious Muslim cum male witnesses, she was charged of adultery. Consequently, in this Islamic Republic of Pakistan, an innocent was stoned to death.

Does the above case conform to the right and protection given by the constitution of Pakistan? Does Islam allow injustice of such an inhuman nature? The answer is no, but, such atrocities are being done under the name of Islamic injunctions; however, the concealed fact is that of a political nature. The society was silent when the Hudood Ordinance was enacted, and it is still heedless of the barbarisms from some of its own sections of people.

Karo-Kari is one of those customs related to fornication. A Kari is a woman who is alleged to have extramarital relations with a man called Karo. In a typical Birdari and caste system of our society, especially in rural areas, if a woman marries with her choice outside of her family relation -- a crime of violating the Biradari unwritten rule – then she is alleged to have committed adultery. The whole Biradari becomes willing to kill both of the husband and the wife under the pretext of Karo-Kari.

Even the dead body of the innocent woman is not given her due right of burying. She is interred in an isolated and far-flung place without religious rituals. In contrast, the Karo is given the right to be buried with religious rituals.

Moreover, husbands, in-laws, and their relatives also victimize the woman with allegation of fornication. In fact, the reason is their personal grievances and enmity for not bringing enough dowry or not following the orders of in-laws. She could be killed any time by her husband or any of his relatives under the pretext of Karo-Kari custom.

Not only the adult woman but also baby girls of even months old are not spared from the clutches of retrogressive customs. Swara and Vaani are such kind of heinous crimes that are deeply upheld by the stone-age minded people.

In both of the customs, the minor girls are given as compensation for the wrongdoings perpetrated by one of the members of the culprit family on the aggrieved one. The village's cult of goons called "Punchayat" leaded by elders of village, fundamentalist Mullahs, including any of our graduate MPA participate in such Punchayats.

Many girls given under Vaani or Swara to the aggrieved family refused to marry there after attaining adult age. CJ of the Supreme Court of Pakistan have taken suo motu action in this regard. Furthermore, girls as young as ten years of age are married with 60 years old man under such customs.

The data collected by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reveals, "A woman is raped after every two hours and gang-raped after every eight hour. For honor killing, commission's report says that in 2006, 565 women have been killed under Karo-Kari. Police do not take seriously the crime of honor killings; as in 2005, there were 475 such cases, and police was able to catch only 128 accused.

According to a report presented by the Interior Ministry, there have been 4100 honor killings since 2001. The report also criticizes that under 'Qisas and Diyat" law, the killer could easily be forgiven after paying compensation for the blood of the dead.

The village Punchayat is so lowest in its scruples that sometimes it orders to rape the women of the culprit family as revenge. Mukhtaran Mai is one of such victim who had been gang-raped because her brother was guilty of some wrong for which she was punished to be gang-raped. The law enforcement agencies denied her "right to register an FIR" because the criminals were influentials.

Sometimes women are stripped and forced to walk naked in the village for any crime of their family members. If she denies marrying with a family relative or raising her voice against her in-laws then she is subjected to mutilation of her body by acid-throwing. For whatever reasons, her husbands could brutally beat her any time under any pretext. Most of the time, she was beaten and even killed for not having a male baby child.

Women are also exploited for the only reason of being a woman. With a high workload from dawn to dusk, she was paid far less than what males get doing less work. Moreover, in our male dominant society, molestation and sometimes attack on her piety during job are frequent incidents. If she reports such crimes then as a punishment, she is rusticated from her job. Therefore, most of the crimes against her remain unreported.

The traders of human flesh exploit her misery. Taking advantage of her penury, they force some of the women on prostitution. Trafficking of women is also a lucrative business for human traffickers. Such women after going abroad work as domestic slaves under extremely inhuman conditions or they are kept in brothels for the shameful business.

Report by an NGO, the Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA) says that in 2006, there were 7,564 cases of violence against women; 1,993 cases of torture; 1,271 women were kidnapped; 822 women committed suicide; 259 were gang raped; 119 were trafficked; 144 booked under the Hudood Ordinances; and 792 were killed in the name of honor. The above data are based on reported cases; and because of unreported abuses, the actual crime rate is far more than what is reported.

Status Of Women In Pakistan/ Women Empowerment In Pakistan

1. Introduction

a. Tarnished image of Muslim and Pakistani Women
b. Status of Women in Human Society: A Historical Perspective

2. Problem Areas for Women in Pakistan

a. Use of Islam to deny Women Rights
b. Gender Discrimination
c. Marriage and Marital Life
d. Sati, Vani and Karokari
e. Domestic Violence
f. Poor Literacy
g. Job Opportunities and Job Environment and Veil
h. Inheritance
i. Want of Male Child
j. Child and Forced Labor
k. Health Issues

3. Steps Taken by the Government

a. Legislation to empower women
b. Job Quotas
c. Representation in Politics
d. Gender Mainstreaming

4. Impacts of the steps taken by the Government

5. Role of NGO Sector

6. Role of Print and Electronic Media

7. Recommendations

a. Diagnosing the Problem: The Problem is of Human Rights, not of Women rights only
b. Universal Women Education
c. Removing Social Barriers to Gender Equality
d. Need to Ensure Women Rights that are guaranteed by Constitution
e. Implementation of Women Rights given by Islam
f. Due Importance to Mother-Child Health

8. Conclusion