Daily Times

After inaugurating its first woman-only police station in Quetta earlier this year, Balochistan hopes to establish two more such police stations in Turbat and Gwadar; adding 280 more female personnel to its rank. This is indeed a significant development for a province, whose women have traditionally been relegated to the sidelines due to its deeply patriarchal nature. Women are confronted with discrimination on a routine basis anywhere in Pakistan, but the scenario is particularly grave in Balochistan’s tribal areas, which have gained notoriety for their inability to accommodate women in public spaces.

With a meagre 33.5 per cent female literacy rate, who could have expected anything different? This, combined with high incidences of maternal mortality and domestic violence, make life difficult for an average Baloch woman. The province’s enduring legacy of honour killings caused 51 women to lose their lives in 2021 alone. In rural Balochistan, growing radicalisation has severely diminished prospects for its women, who have been largely confined to their homes. Life does not shine bright for those who have been refused any access to the external world, even law enforcement.

For many women, approaching police officers is tricky business, especially because of their refusal to investigate domestic abuse allegations, which discourages women from opening up, and puts them at even greater risk if their abusers retaliate. Despite a legal obligation to register violent crimes, many police officers dismiss victims of domestic violence due to socio-cultural barriers and political pressure to underreport crime. Law enforcement currently lacks the capacity to support women and has, instead, become complicit in perpetuating the cycles of violence victims hope to escape from.

Anonymity is crucial for many victims of domestic violence so they will benefit from gender-segregated spaces, which are equipped to deal with their needs, especially in a province like Balochistan, where women are penalized for stepping outside their homes. Women may also be more likely to report exploitation and abuse if they see someone who looks like them in control, which demystifies the idea that power belongs exclusively to men. Perhaps this marks a new beginning for Balochistan’s women, who are entitled to safe spaces and deserve the opportunity to have their voices heard after decades of alienation. *