Women played an important role in the struggle to achieve a separate homeland, our beloved Pakistan but they are not given equal rights in Pakistan.
Art. 25(2) states: There shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex.
The Constitution of Pakistan recognizes equality between men and women but women face many problems in their daily life due to gender discrimination. Most of the parents abort their female child in the womb, killing the innocents before they are born. Women do not have equal right of education among the list of rights not given. In rural areas, women don’t even have rights to choose groom for them. Honor killing of women in Pakistan is very very much a trend these day.
There is a widespread practice of rigid gender segregation that excludes women from social and economic opportunities. Moreover, specific forms of family and kinship and a strong ideology linking family honor to female virtue allow men to control women. Thus, when a woman’ s behavior is seen to threaten the patriarchal order, it is her body that is punished with beatings, burning, sexual abuse and even murders in the name of honor.
To add to the misfortune of these women, not only have subsequent Pakistani governments, whether elected or dictatorial, failed to legislate to protect the rights and real honor of women, but instead they also have formulated several laws that protect perpetrators of violence against women. We must raise our voice against this discrimination because if we want equal rights then we have to fight against the corrupt system.
Our religion gives respect and equal rights to women and Holy prophet (s.a.w) said that daughter is a blessing of Allah. For the sake of betterment of our country, we must ensure that equal rights are provided to every female in the society. Females in the rural areas are not aware of their rights. One of the reasons for this lack of awareness is lack of education. There is no one to tell them about their rights or to encourage them to stand up for them or to support them in this matter. The society we live in is a male dominant society which needs to be changed.
The writer is a student of Mass Communication at University of Punjab. She can be reached at: [email protected]