Daily Times

Owing to a gradual insight in women about their rights and the various incidents related to women’s issues in Pakistan, the year 2021 has seen a rising wave of feminism among women in the country. It seems as if women have realised how to regain their lost status and fight for their rights. Whenever a sombre incident tarnishes the image of women, many across the country take to their social media accounts and speak up for the protection of their rights. The surge in violence against women has injected confidence and awareness in them to be on the side of justice and seek it without being deterred by the forces of society.

It has been observed by some analysts that the media now also operates through wisdom in reporting cases and raising women’s issues brazenly. Previously, it would hide incidents and report a few to maintain the bright side of society. However, mainstream media has now attuned to the regular reporting of issues and highlights them by deeply digging into the facts. Critics say that the media has been acting as a tool for women to gain awareness and fight for their empowerment. The way a case is reported and becomes a hashtag makes it more prominent in the eyes of people. Those who previously had little knowledge about the day-to-day incidents now make themselves abreast of all issues keenly. Social media has triggered the feminist uprising in the country.

The recent incidents have gained more public attention when discussed in the media. The Noor Mukaddam case is so intensely highlighted by mainstream media that every circle of women has offered its support for the victim and demanded justice from the law. The heinous crime attempted by Zahir Jaffer remained a hashtag on Twitter and Instagram flooded with posts in support of the slain girl. Still, after two to three months, some people are found discussing the loopholes in the law and justice system of the country and propagating the crime in its originality so that a maximum number of people can accumulate the information.

Media has been acting as a tool for women to gain awareness and fight for their empowerment.

The same aggression and resentment were seen by women getting hold of the media when 400 men tried to sexually assault a woman at Minar-e-Pakistan who came to celebrate Independence Day with her friend. Not only women, but men also reverently participated in supporting the women’s cause and took to Twitter to express their anger and disappointment for the inadequate arrangements made by the government for women’s protection and security in the country. The women who spoke against the crime that took place in broad daylight also included numerous celebrities and influencers who otherwise do not find it imperative to state something being raised by the media.

Given that a great number of incidents happened this year, the awareness in women about their rights has brought a drastic change in the country in various fields associated with women’s rights. For instance, experts have noted that female education rates are gradually increasing with every passing year. The rate of female secondary education rises from 28.6 per cent in 2011 to 34.2 per cent in 2021. Similarly, another set of statistics has shown that women have acquired the confidence to defend their rights.

According to the 2017-2018 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 28 per cent of women aged 15 to 49 had experienced violence from their partner in their lifetime while this is comparatively a decrease from 32 per cent of women in the 2012-2013 survey who have suffered physical violence at the hands of their partners. Although these cases are assumed to be underreported, however the gradual improvement in the status of women is an undeniable fact.

Many NGOs and social activists are exerting themselves in creating ways and means to spread awareness in women about their rights. Teaching women about gender equality and how to seek their inalienable rights are extremely important to control their suppression and victimisation in society. Analysts have claimed that women who learn about their rights and get awareness at a young age come off with better mindsets to run their lives.

Farzana Bari, Pakistan’s rights activist and director of the Gender Studies Department at the Quaid-e-Azam University in Islamabad, opines that women, especially young girls, should be (though it is vital to work with women of all ages) encouraged to participate in such platforms arranged as things get easily incorporated in their personality when sought at a young age. “The elderly women, the ones who have internalized the patriarchal ideology, can also unlearn certain things about gender roles. The gender studies programs in Pakistan’s public sector universities are focusing on this very aspect: how to make men and women unlearn the myths about gender,” Bari said.

Right activists have also stated that some prominent NGOs are involved in organizing workshops, seminars and webinars for women to promote gender equality and make women learn how it is important to talk about and seek an end to gender-based violence in the country. Presently, The Leadership for Environment and Development (LEAD), a non-profit organization is working to eliminate poverty through leadership and capacity and capability enhancement programs in the country. It mainly focuses on rural girls and such women who belong to low-income and disadvantaged backgrounds to educate them about their rights.

Ali Tauqir Sheikh, chief executive officer of LEAD Pakistan, believes that investing in young girls is the right thing to do. “We believe that investing in these young girls will result in high returns. They are the ones who do most of the chores like rearing the livestock, gathering water and firewood, and looking after young siblings,” said Sheikh.

From the last few years, the public has seen the unprecedented presence of women in ‘Aurat March’ that is held every year on International Women’s Day. Earlier, very few women could join it due to the fear that it invites criticism from conservative agencies operating in the country. The authorities arranging “Aurat March” are now working to make it more inclusive so that women from every social class can participate in it and be a source to bring a change. This year, people have organized rallies in the main cities of the country especially Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi, as well as in other several cities.

The feminism uprising has gained momentum because women resist submitting to patriarchal values that once made them slaves of the society. The gradual change in ideologies and shift in behavioural patterns of women are now making it hard for the violence against women to rise and suppress their voices. The change is there and can be felt when a woman speaks against her miseries without any fear of being objected to it.

The writer is a sociocultural critic with a focus on human rights. She can be reached at mehmilkhalid@gmail.com.