2016 essay contest honorable mention
A WOMAN'S WORLD TOO
by Alisa Hyat
One in three women in the world are victimized every year, and in Pakistan the statistics are four in every five. To the majority of the population, these are just figures; numbers with no real significance. The 70-90% of women who have faced domestic abuse- be it in the form of rape, emotional manipulation, physical beating, acid attacks or honor killing- are overlooked and disregarded. In some regions their rights as citizens are revoked due to the patriarchal norms, they are forbidden by their husbands, brothers and fathers from working, voting, learning and essentially being able to participate in activities that are considered fundamental human rights. The foundation for these demeaning exploitations is the widely accepted delusion that men are so to speak, superior. This is because over the years many religions and cultures have labeled women as second-rate citizens. One would think, in the 21st century where so much progress has already been made, that these prehistoric concepts would have been laid to rest. However that is far from the case.
Till this day, women walking alone are consumed with unease as they feel the need to constantly glance over their shoulders or pace as fast as their legs can carry them to outrun the loitering, vile gaze of degenerate, working-class men who sit nearby and snigger, simply to add to the discomfort. Upon occasion, ladies find themselves being ‘sneakily’ photographed in market places. The Pakistani dress itself is not very revealing, as it comprises of loosely fitted shalwar kamiz and dupattas, even burqas. So the pathetic, world-renowned excuse of “She was asking for it” is irrelevant.
Harassment in public places and severe domestic violence aside, even in respectable homes in the larger cities of the country, the sons are given more freedom than the daughters. The justification provided is simply “…because you’re a girl”. Perhaps due to the situation of women in the country, parents do this for their protection but then it gets in the way of other features like education. Boys are encouraged to go abroad and get better quality education whereas girls find themselves lucky to be going to a university in their own vicinity. They are generally married off early and fed with pipe dreams about being able to study after marriage. For educated and cognizant women especially, the inequality and injustice is infuriating, whether it’s reading stories in the news about thrashings received by innocent women in rural areas, or being whistled at while shopping, or even being told you can’t play on the street like your brothers could. Knowing how capable Pakistani women are, with examples of Arfa Karim, the 9 year old Microsoft Certified Official and the likes of Malala Yusufzai, it’s still baffling how the ignorance of society prevails. The country is drowning and women are life-rafts that the patriarchy refuses to utilize due to a nauseating, backward mindset.
Each of these issues are important but we cannot hope to eradicate the inequality by focusing on them individually because one does not cut down a tree by clipping the leaves first, the base must be targeted; in this case it is lack of education and awareness. Documentaries and films have chronicled the capabilities of women and also the various assaults carried out on them in Pakistan’s rural areas, an exceptional example of which would be Academy Award Winner Sharmine Obaid Chinoy’s presentation of the acid attack and honor killing victims. Media and telecommunication industries continue to expand as audiences become more involved making this a phenomenal platform on which to raise awareness. Furthermore, it is imperative that we develop the local quality of education, for both men and women in order to improve their chances of making enhanced and more intelligent judgments rather than acting on the beliefs passed down to them through retrograde culture.
In order for the society to prosper, there must be mutual respect between every single member of the general public; endowing them all with equal dignity. Regardless of class or gender, maintaining equal rights is of paramount importance and when there is this, there is justice. This world does not belong only to man, but to children, senior citizens, animals, plants and of course, women. The sooner this is realized and both genders unify and support each other’s skills, the country can move pave its way towards a sunnier, flourishing future.