In Pakistani conventional society violence against women is a normal practice especially in village areas. Heavily populated province of Punjab has multidimensional approach in the society about this important issue.
Violence against women considered as a routine matter and people don’t bother to give it due consideration in the villages. In the southern part of this Province, most of the population lived in village areas where womenfolk are facing miserable conditions.
The feudal system, weak law implementation and lack of awareness in male-dominated society are the major reasons for that. Purdah (veil) creates big differentiation between men and women and most women spend their lives in their homes and courtyards and go outside only for male approved reasons. Due to these conditions, their social life remained in a specific circle created by men. This is why the men decide what is good and evil for women and if a woman is being tortured it is not considered a big offense.
People think that it is a right of man to handle their women this way, the domestic violence is widespread in this area and acid throwing, burning, killing, rape, and physical abuse is usual practice. Most of these cases never reported in media and women have no independent access to the police and judiciary.
Some customary practices like WattaSatta, Kala Kali, Vani, are applied in the name of honor that is vested in men. Early and forced marriages and harassment of women in the property matter is pushing women behind and behind. Sexual harassment is also a big issue where 70 percent of cases remained unreported and women remained silence due to the fear of men. Even women cannot share this problem with their own husband and family heads. Due to these conditions, a perpetrator is established that being women is itself a curse and this atmosphere is damaging women mentally and physically.
Domestic violence has many forms including physical aggression (hitting, kicking, biting, shoving, restraining, throwing objects), or threats thereof, sexual abuse, emotional abuse, controlling or domineering, intimidation, stalking, passive abuse and economic deprivation.
Domestic violence may or may not constitute a crime, depending on local statues, severity, and duration of specific acts, and other variables. Alcohol consumption and mental illness can be co-morbid with abuse and present additional challenges when present alongside patterns of abuse.
The writer is a student of M.phill sociology.