By Rameen Baig for Invisiblites
Roaming eyes and unwanted attention: a crux of life of a woman in Pakistan. Too vulnerable for the outside world, not properly safe inside either. What does it mean to be a woman living in his country? Always the subject of inquiry and harassment but never given a voice to put her concerns to the table. For a country built on the principles of Islam, we treat our women to the exact antithesis of Islamic teachings. If a woman is not safe in the streets of her own country, then not much can be said for the state’s effort to prioritize citizen safety.
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UN Women recently published a report on the status of women in Pakistan. Hardly discussed in the media and as always failing to bother the decision-makers, the report presents an extremely bleak picture of the state of affairs. More than 90 % of the women acknowledge harassment at the workplace and more than 80% do in public spaces. What is most alarming is the fact that more than 50% were not aware that harassment is a crime.
Gender-based violence is also a major concern. A cross-provincial survey on justifications regarding physical violence by your spouse shows specific results: between 25% (Punjab) and 59% (KP) women believe that beating a wife by your husband is allegedly justified. The data shows that of those who never reported domestic violence, 24% believed that the violence was not serious, 15% were embarrassed to report it, 12 % did not want to bring a bad name to the family, and 9% feared further violence.” These statistics alone are enough to cause alarm for women’s safety especially domestically thus debunking the argument that women should stay inside for protection.
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Sexual crime has also increased. Every week we see a grotesque incident on our TV screens to the point that we are desensitized to these cases. These incidents are sensationalized. Instead of striving for justice, our society puts the victim in the spotlight and encourages victim shaming in such sensitive cases.
The state of women’s safety in Pakistan is a matter of grave concern. Laws are weak, enforcement is unreliable, and awareness non-existent. The least we could do is to educate ourselves and others on the importance of such topics. Let us all strive for a future that is safe for the women in our lives so we can see them at their full potential.
Rameen Baig is a student of BS International relations at NDU university Islamabad. She is interested in diplomatic relations, women rights and strategies studies.
Photo credits: Microsoft Copilot
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