Daily Times

The theme for this year’s IWD is Think Equal, Build Smart & Innovate for Change

Globally, International Women’s Day (IWD) is celebrated on March 8 every year.

It is a day when women are recognised for their achievements without regard to divisions, whether national, ethnic, linguistic, cultural, economic or political. IWD first emerged from the activities of labour movements at the turn of the 20th Century in North America and across Europe. This day is recognised by governments and organisations around the world and is an official holiday in dozens of countries, including Afghanistan, China, Vietnam and Zambia.

Around 106 years later, the picture for women in Pakistan, across all social strata and in every corner of their lives, is bleak.

The theme for this year’s IWD is Think Equal, Build Smart, and Innovate for Change”.

However, through this write-up, I want to pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of women, who worked for the development of the country and raised slogans for women empowerment, education and social justice eg Malala Yousafzai, Asma Jahangir, Ghulam Sughra, Khalida Brohi, Muniba Mazari, Saira Ahmed, Shad Begum and Syeda Ghulam Fatima and many more. More power to them!

There is a famous saying, “There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both and that is the power of the women.”

But sadly, the situation of women in Pakistan is quite miserable. They are victims of domestic violence as well as sexual assault and have been denied their due social, economic, political, fundamental and financial rights. Moreover, it’s a reality that women in Pakistan are always treated as second class citizens, sadly because the state cannot make a clear distinction whether it’s secular or theocratic in nature.

I want to pay tribute to the extraordinary efforts of women, who worked for the development of the country and raised slogans for women empowerment, education and social justice eg Malala Yousafzai, Asma Jahangir, Ghulam Sughra, Khalida Brohi, Muniba Mazari, Saira Ahmed, Shad Begum and Syeda Ghulam Fatima and many more. More power to them!

Sadly, life in Pakistan is not easy for women.

Because of illiteracy, many women don’t know that as citizens of Pakistan, they have the right to life, freedom and a future. State has failed to provide all these facilities to the women. Now the responsibility is on non-governmental organisations and social activists that they give them information that they are equal citizens, that their hopes and dreams are legitimate and that they have a choice to decide how to live their lives. Then they can fight to claim their rights, to demand justice from the legal system and accountability from their leaders.

However, within the Constitution of Pakistan, women are given all rights which they deserve. For instance, the Constitution recognises the equality of every citizen. It says in Clause 2 of the Article 25, there shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex alone.

In the same article, the equality of both men and women is guaranteed. Moreover, the Article 19 of the Constitution has sanctioned for the freedom of speech and expression of every citizen. It means both men and women are entitled to use their right of freedom of speech and expression. In addition, the Article 34 specifically lays down the guidelines for the participation of women in ever field of life. It says the state shall ensure the participation of women in the every sphere of national life. Every international report and surveys declared Pakistan as one of the most dangerous countries for a woman. The state does little to protect it vulnerable despite constitutional guarantee and laws guaranteeing free will to the women of Pakistan. They are denied their fundamental rights.

Women in Pakistan have been constantly complaining of having being isolated from the mainstream of society. Women feel disillusioned on being maltreated by the male-oriented set-up in Pakistan. However, the Pakistani society usually adopts a hostile attitude towards the women. And most fundamental is the question of violence. The violence against women is a very alarming situation in the country because it is getting to a very threatening situation and the violence is getting brutal day by day. The honour and dignity of female is endangered and no women are safe.

Just to highlight for my readers that the provincial governments have enacted120 pro-women laws, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa had the highest legislative output, followed by Sindh, Punjab and Baluchistan. But sadly the implementation remains questionable.

My request to all stakeholders who are celebrating this March 8, do talk about the cases of victims of violence, harassment and abuse. Furthermore, do talk about the parallel justice systems like jirgas and panchayat which continue to issue verdicts against women. Also shed light on the root causes of violence against women and redressal recommendations and women protection act and the child marriage restraint act. Do discuss about the manifestos of all political parties as nothing but sham and mere rhetoric as far as the women issues are concerned.

I personally believe that different stakeholders need to come together including activists, artists, feminists and grassroots activists to create better policy and take stronger steps to address the issue of discrimination and violence against women rather sitting in drawing rooms and having cosy sofa debates and discussing about the issues of women. We as a whole nation need to speak regarding the rights of women and make a clear stance against all of those who are stopping the women to come up. We have to clear that women bear no lower status than that of men and that they are both equal.

Providing women and girls with equal access to education, health-care, decent work, opportunities and representation in political and economic decision-making processes will fuel Pakistan with sustainable economy and benefit society and humanity at large.

The writer is a social and political activist based in Lahore. He can be reached at salmanali088@gmail.com and Tweets at @Salmani_salu