The Prime Minister has sparked more debate by once more linking the growing number of rape cases to how women dress. Social media as well as print and electronic are ablaze. Some stand by Imran Khan while others most definitely do not.
This has reminded me of the shocking Lahore-Sialkot Motorway incident that occurred last September when a woman was raped in front of her children. Yet was ‘obscenity’ or ‘vulgar’ dress the reason that those two men did what they did?
All of which has got me thinking of the increasing number of girls and women whom one now sees clad in abayas — whether in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa or Punjab. But, then, in the recent case of a mufti raping a student, the victim was male and fully covered.
Unfortunately, it is common in our society to blame women for the crimes of rape and sexual violence committed against them. Why did she go there? Why did she wear those clothes? Surely there must have been something already wrong with her. Of course, notions of obscenity have always existed here and the world over. But interpretations may vary depending on culture and era.
Yet sexual abuse has always existed even in the most “modern” of times and in countries where women have traditionally observed purdah. The highest rape statistics are found in Bangladesh, India, China, Japan, Russia and, most notably, the United states. Now, if we consider the US, China or Japan we may conclude from our narrow definition of obscenity that these are non-Muslim environments. That they are home to “deteriorating values” with their nightclubs and bars. But, then, what is to be said about Muslim states like ours? We are declared Islamic Republics, our clothing is mostly in accordance with our particular cultural norms and values. Meaning, no sunbathing on beaches, no massage parlours and no drinking, apparently. So, how is it, then, that women and children are falling prey to rapists?
Pakistan has slipped down to 156 from 153 on the gender equality front while the gender gap has widened to 0.7 percent. Indeed, we are the fourth worst ranking nation after Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan. Confronting this should be our focus. Not arguing about what women wear
Not everything boils down to what women wear. Other factors are at play, such as the the patriarchy, an uninformed and disempowered citizenry, the non-upholding of fundamental human rights as well as the role of the media and access to the Internet. The Constitution affords equal dignity, respect and security to women. In addition, the Muslim directive for purdah or the hijab is meant for both men and women and extend beyond the physical. Regrettably, patriarchal societies filter this out and instead place the burden solely on the shoulders of women.
Islam is a religion meant for all of humanity with a complete code of conduct relating to all spheres of life, for both genders. Being religious doesn’t meant something unusual neither does it prevent the believer from enjoying a regular life. Unfortunately a highly religious person is taken as something extraordinary or maybe they have to pretend to be far removed from the world of the common people. No matter an outwardly pious person’s desires — he feels compelled to hide them. This leads to decreased individual access to fulfilling these desires, such as: lack of access to justice, underreporting of rape cases and low conviction rates. Thus, women and children mostly keep quiet and so the cycle of victimisation continues.
According to 2020 statistics, at least 11 cases of rape are reported everyday in Pakistan. Some 22,000 cases were reported to police stations over the last six years yet only 77 (or 0.3) percent resulted in convictions; as per figured obtained from different law enforcement departments and welfare agencies. Child rape can be attributed to socio-economic conditions and rampant population growth — population control being the least of concern of our policymakers. Meaning that children are vulnerable when they become earning hands for their families. Indeed, we do come across little boys and girls standing at traffic signals, either begging or armed with a small wiper to clean car windscreens. How do they spend their nights, or even days, given the precariousness of their situation? And then we have the Internet where access to 3G and 4G technology means that all kinds of content is but a click away. Certainly, media bears some of the blame for promoting vulgarity and obscenity. But who controls the content presented by the media in the name of commercialism and entertainment?
The Global Gender Index report 2021 by the World Economic Forum informs us that Pakistan has slipped down to 156 from 153 in gender equality and that the gender gap has widened to 0.7 percent. We are the fourth worst ranking nation after Iraq, Yemen and Afghanistan in terms of gender parity and security for women. Confronted with this grim state of affairs, we would do better to develop an holistic approach to tackling rape and sexual violence against women rather than wasting time arguing about women’s clothing. For rape cannot be viewed solely through the prism of women’s ‘behaviour’. It is equally connected to that of men, the perpetrators. Thus, the solution needs to be multi-pronged. The media as well as education institutions need to sensitise themselves about rape and rape culture. In addition, we must focus on constitutional literacy as well as the correct religious directives.
It is high time that we concentrate on achieving gender parity and gender equality that both the Constitution and our religion guarantee. A good place to start would be engaging women, who constitute (almost) half the population, in the social, political and economic activities of both state and society while guaranteeing the right to security, dignity, education and health.
The writer has experience in the field of education and is currently working as a resource person in the development sector