Women and children continue to face harassment and violence in Pakistan, while the Pakistani media has failed to cover these acts of violence. According to a report released by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), 6,754 women were abducted and 1890 raped during the first six months of this year.34 cases of rape were registered in Islamabad while 3,721 cases of violence against women and 752 cases of child abuse were registered in Punjab. However, according to the SSDO, only 27 cases were covered in the media. The report also indicated that out of 163 cases about the abduction of women were registered in Islamabad, only 26 cases have been reported in the media and, In Punjab, there is a large number of cases of sexual harassment, rape, abduction, child abuse and domestic violence.
The last few months have been particularly harrowing for Pakistani women. From the horrific case of 27-year-old Noor Muqaddam, who was brutally tortured and beheaded in the nation’s capital on July 21, to that of Ayesha Ikram, a TikTok creator, who was harassed and groped on the country’s Independence Day by more than 400 men on the grounds of one of the country’s major national monuments, the Minar-e-Pakistan in Lahore – it feels as if violence against women has reached epidemic proportions. Many are even calling it a “femicide” to draw attention to the scale of the problem and its systemic nature. But gender-based violence in the country is not new.
According to the 2017-2018 Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey, 28 percent of women aged 15 to 49 had experienced intimate partner violence in their lifetimes. This is a slight decrease from 32 percent of the women reported to have experienced physical violence at the hands of their partners in the 2012-2013 survey. But given that domestic violence is an issue shrouded in secrecy and shame, both sets of figures are likely a gross under-estimation.
One suspects that it feels like there is a surge in violence because cases are getting more attention. Mainstream media is more attuned to the issue, and it is also being highlighted and discussed on social media platforms. These conversations have created heightened awareness among young women in particular, who are becoming increasingly vocal about their rights. The vast majority of these women belong to the educated, urban middle and upper classes. This is just the latest in the long history of the struggle against gender-based violence in Pakistan.
In the past, particular cases have drawn national as well international attention, leading to collective action by rights activists. One such case was that of 28-year-old Samia Sarwar, whose murder was arranged by her family in 1999. She had been seeking a divorce from her violent husband, a decision her family did not support because it would have “dishonoured” the family name. Another well-documented case is that of Mukhtaran Mai, who was gang-raped in June 2002 by four men in Meerwala village in southern Punjab’s Muzaffargarh district. Mai was raped on the orders of a village council as “punishment” for her younger brother’s alleged illegitimate relationship with a woman from a rival tribe.
Earlier in 2016, the murder of 26-year-old Qandeel Baloch by her younger brother for her “intolerable” behaviour, was a turning point for many younger feminists. Baloch was a social media star who was bold and open about her sexuality. Her murder set off a public debate around the question of women’s sexuality and victim-blaming.
It is high time that the government must take some preventive measures to counter the brutal injustice being done to women in Pakistan.
Fatima Imam Baksh
Turbat
