Because of the coronavirus outbreak, Pakistan faced two-months nationwide lockdown. Lockdown exacerbates widespread stress across the society which led to many problems especially for women and girls because it aggravated domestic violence both physical and mental and brought more misery to their lives.
Pandemic stress and social isolation intensified gender-based violence because victims of domestic abuse were trapped with their abusers at home. Frustrated Domestic violence perpetrators spending the whole day at home worsened the situation for women and girls.
During the crisis, women take on additional physical, psychological and time burdens as caretakers. On the top of that imagine the stress and pain of women who got confined in a toxic violent situation for almost two months behind the closed doors especially in the small houses of one room where they even do not have chance to stay away from the abuser.
For those women who are sole earners for their families facing a high level of depression and anxiety because of unemployment or not getting salaries and wages. These women facing family pressure and domestic violence for not earning and getting money home.
In Pakistan, we can only guess that to what extent domestic violence is aggravated by the COVID 19 and lockdown. It is hard to measure because it is happening behind closed doors and it has a long history of under-reporting.
Financial constraints and stress deepen domestic abuse while no services were available in the whole country to support the victims. Only one helpline of the Ministry of Human Rights 1099 was available from 10 am to 10 pm to assist women.
In these difficult times, the government cannot focus on all issues, so we as a society have to come together to solve this kind of issues. We need to understand that this is a testing time for everyone, and frustration levels are high, but none of this can excuse causing harm to another person. Family, friends and neighbours should start supporting the victims of domestic violence. So, break the silence to end domestic violence and pledge today never to commit, excuse and remain silent about violence against women.
Recently 8-year-old domestic worker Zohra was tortured to death by her employer. Exposing another case of exploitation of domestic worker, Police arrested three women on charges of forcing a housemaid into prostitution, torturing her and shaving her head. Cases of brutality against domestic workers highlighted in every few months. Remember the cases we see in the mainstream media is only a tip of an iceberg, thousands of cases go unreported in our society.
Millions of women and girls are working as domestic helpers in Pakistan. Most of the domestic workers are making sacrifices to support their families. Instead of giving them respect, they deserve they are among the most exploited and abused workers. In domestic workers lower and middle age girls are most vulnerable who face physical and mental torture, sexual abuse, rape and even death.
If we talk about the employer or abuser it could be a male or female, adult or a child, from a middle-class family or high-class family, influential or a common man. What do these people have in common? cruelty and sick mentality.
Let’s dig out the core reasons for this brutality. First of all, people, who have enough money to afford a housekeeper they tend to get underage or adult girls from the villages because they think they can buy anything with money. They consider and deal with them as their slaves. Feudal mindset and patriarchy are the most common reason of violence but in this case psychology and mental health of the abuser also counts. The cruel actions of employers portray the sadistic tendencies and ill mental health. It has become common practice that people let their frustration and anger out to the nearest weaker person. We have seen many cases where one family member is beating the domestic worker brutally and other family members are watching or even recording it in mobile which shows the overall mental state of the society.
In society today, mental illness and violence are often seen as inextricably linked, creating a harsh stigma for people which have dire consequences. Violence has serious implications for society and people who are involve in it needs to be studied. We need to understand the factors contributing to violence so that we can appropriately develop a risk management plan. Addressing the factors and finding solutions can eliminate violence from the society.
The culture of sending children as domestic helpers in other cities become one of the most significant reasons for abuse because the victims have no contact with their families. Many face illegal confinement and torture for months and years until they escape dead or alive. The families of the victims are also culprit because most of the time they know that their children are facing violence and they never take action to get them out. Many of them remain silent because of fear because they get threats by the influential owner. Others remain quiet because they are getting paid and after knowing about the violence, they get hush money to remain silent. In many cases, the victim is physically and sexually abused by the employer but remain silent sometimes in fear and sometimes she also gets some benefits in exchange for it.
Most cases are not reported but if reported, most of the time culprit do not get punishment. Most of the time they work out an agreement with the victims’ families or they use loopholes of law to get free. Legal proceeding and affording high lawyer fee end up costing a lot to the poor families which is also a reason that they do not register the case or withdraw it.
We as a society are responsible for these kinds of incidence too. We do not take action and remain silent when we see any kind of violence in society. We do not condemn the people around us involved in violence and cruelty. We protest for a few weeks, now even for a few hours on social media making the trend #1 on twitter and questioning humanity and saying how can someone be so ruthless and cruel. But suddenly the hype dies down and we get back to our lives waiting for another incident to become a hero on social media through demanding justice for another victim.
Your introduction, who are you and what do you do?
Well, my name is Omer Aftab, you can call me a social entrepreneur and a human right activist.
I started White Ribbon Pakistan more than a decade ago with an idea to create awareness about the deeply penetrated issue of violence against women and girls in our society. I can fairly say that White Ribbon brought the concept of working on the mindset and behavioural change of the perpetrator (mostly men in our country) rather than preaching to the victims who are already suppressed.
How has the pandemic contributed to domestic violence? Are there more cases than before?
No doubt, the world has seen an exponential rise in the curve of domestic violence during the pandemic. In Pakistan domestic violence both physical and mental has aggravated since the pandemic began.
In Pakistan, it is hard to measure that to what extent domestic violence is aggravated by the pandemic and lockdown because it is happening behind closed doors and it has a long history of under-reporting.
Due to the lockdown, the world has experienced a serious problem of providing access/relief to the victims. Various strategies have been adopted to bring legal access and support to the victims. Even in Pakistan, the Government has widely promoted its helpline so victims can get legal aid across Pakistan.
White Ribbon feels that mental health is a serious issue which causes the increase in domestic violence, we foresee that in the coming months the situation might get more serious due to increase in unemployment, financial burden, and frustration of adjusting to the new normal.
Are there any stats you know?
We do not have any official data regarding the last quarter, but we have witnessed and referred many cases where mental health and marital issues are on the top.
How do you think we can help victims in this situation?
The objective of the White Ribbon is to engage men in the dialogue from all walks of life and create an enabling environment, where not only women are standing at the front line to guard the victims. If we put this into action, it means that we encourage society to create a support system where any form of violence is unacceptable by whosoever.
COVID 19 is new to all of us, even the perpetrators. At this time, we can engage the stakeholders, Police, medicolegal, lawyers and organisations who are working to protect the victims to be more vigilant and quicker in action. We can’t stress enough on the fact that an individual’s support system is the biggest protection, and first to call for protection.
Encouraging women to stand up against any form of violence and asking men to endorse this ideology is the key step to support our women who stuck at home.
What is the solution according you in this situation?
To solve these kinds of issues, family, friends and neighbours of the victim should take action and support the victims of domestic violence. This is a testing time for everyone, and frustration levels are high, but none of this can excuse causing harm to another person. So, break the silence to end domestic violence and pledge today never to commit, excuse and remain silent about violence against women.
We focus on men’s role in preventing violence because Men can play a significant role in ending violence against women. Men can influence the results by changing their behaviour and convincing others to stop violence against women too. We need to curb the destructive beliefs, patriarchal mindset and expectations about what it means to be a man, the ultimate cause of violence against women. Working with men and boys can offer alternative models of masculinity and manhood, which reject gender violence and build respect for women and girls.
White Ribbon Pakistan, a social sector organisation has resorted to an unorthodox approach to raise awareness about ending violence against women by launching playing cards with moral messages printed on them.
White Ribbon Pakistan, a social sector organisation working for gender equality, has resorted to an unorthodox approach to raise awareness about ending violence against women by launching playing cards with moral messages printed on them, a press release states. Each of the four Queens in the deck has been illustrated to depict a different form of abuse i.e. acid attacks, honor killings, psychological abuse and physical abuse.
These cards are being distributed by influential women, celebrities and social workers at different places like chai dhabbas, snooker and gaming clubs, road side cafés and tuck stops
On the side of these 4 cards, there are informational messages both in Urdu and English. These cards are being distributed by influential women, celebrities and social workers at different places like chai dhabbas, snooker and gaming clubs, road side cafés and tuck stops. The ‘Queens Campaign’ intends to not only spark conversation around the topic, but also inform men of the laws on women protection.
In Pakistan, every 5th woman is subjected to physical violence with 80% of the total women population suffering this abuse. About 40 percent of all married women go through domestic violence in their lifetime.
Each of the four Queens in the deck has been illustrated to depict a different form of abuse i.e. acid attacks, honor killings, psychological abuse and physical abuse
White Ribbon is working with a different approach to counter the issue of violence against women by addressing the patriarchal mind-set of individuals, society and state; and spreading awareness about the consequences of domestic violence.
Speaking at the eve of the launching ceremony of the campaign, Chief Executive Officer of White Ribbon, Omer Aftab said, “One issue with most communication campaigns on domestic violence is that the media is either ignored or doesn’t reach the target market. In an effort to connect directly with its intended audience, White Ribbon used a highly innovative medium that has never been utilized before.”
The first step to end the violence against women is to recognize the root causes of this menace. Gender-based discrimination, social norms, cultural practices and gender stereotypes perpetuate the violence against women. There are many ways to end violence such as prevent it before it happens, empowering women, educating society by promoting gender equality and changing norms and values, making strict laws, implementation and enforcement of the laws by giving appropriate punishment to the culprits and men engagement on different levels.
Prevent it before it happens
Preventing before it happens means educating our next generations regarding gender equality and gender discrimination which is a long term process. As we know that values and norms around gender equality are forged from childhood to adulthood. We should start educating children from early life and promote respectful relationships and gender equality among young boys and girls. Educating children to avoid gender stereotyping and false norms that promote gender inequality. Involvement of youth ensures the faster, sustained progress on preventing and eradicating gender-based violence.
Empowering women
We have to promote gender equality, women’s empowerment and the human rights of women. We will have to make public and private spaces safer for women, ensure their economic independence, security and increasing women’s participation and decision-making powers in all fields of life. Researches have proven that an educated and empowered woman is less likely to be the victim of abuse.
Making effective laws
An additional approach to reduce violence is to pass and implement effective laws and policies against the culprit. Legal systems and public policy frameworks have often overlooked the crisis of violence against women. Social bias and cultural norms protect the perpetrators from punishment and still a crime like domestic violence are considered a private matter in the eyes of common people. In Pakistan, many laws have been made to protect women against violence but many barriers and loopholes exist that are needed to be addressed.
Implementation and enforcement of the laws
While a historic number of laws and policies against violence are now in place, implementation is still lagging behind. Implementation of the laws strictly and across the board is crucial to put an end to the violence. Wrongdoers know the loopholes and cultural practices, they have no fear to get caught and punished which encourage them to keep doing violence. We cannot reduce the acts of violence until we give punishments to the perpetrators and make them a lesson for others.
Men engagement
There is a growing awareness that men, in partnership with women, can play a significant role in ending violence against women. Men engagement is proved to be the best practice to end the violence against women. Involvement of the men and boys accelerate the progress in ending GBV because most the time the men are the wrongdoers in this case. Men can have an important influence on reducing violence by changing their own attitudes and behavior and by intervening to prevent other men’s violence. A man can stop another man to end the violence by using authority, power and influence.
Men who have influence belonging to the different sectors like government, judiciary, and media can help in spreading awareness and mobilizing communities and they can take effective steps to curb the issue.
LAHORE: Around 60 to 70pc of women in Pakistan are suffering from some form of violence and abuse, around 5,000 women are killed every year while thousands become disabled because of domestic violence.
These figures have been revealed by the White Ribbon, an organisation which focuses on Violence against Women and Girls (VAWG), on the Day of Elimination of Violence against Women to mark the International 16 Days of Activism from Nov 25 to Dec 9.
Expressing concerns at the current condition of Pakistani women, White Ribbon CEO Omer Aftab stressed the need for immediate steps for eradication of violence against women.
“One out of every five women in Pakistan faces domestic violence and the ratio has increased alarmingly by 20pc in recent years,” he said.
Speaking at a nationwide pledge campaign launched by White Ribbon, he said the incidents of the VAWG, including domestic violence, murder, rape, child abuse, child marriages, honour killing, harassment and other anti-women cultural practices, were on the rise.
“White Ribbon is striving to end the violence against women by engaging men and boys to take the pledge: Never to commit violence, excuse it or remain silent about it. White Ribbon is actually a men’s movement to end violence against women by addressing men and the patriarchal mindset of individuals and society. We believe it is not sufficient to create awareness about women rights among the women only, men must join them; to encourage norms of consent, respect and gender equality; to challenge the unfair power relations, which promote gender-based violence,” Mr Aftab added.
LAHORE: White Ribbon Campaign Pakistan arranged ‘White Ribbon Ride’ to end violence against women in collaboration with ‘Crazy Horse’ and HOG Pakistan. Motorcycle riders holding White Ribbon flags and white ribbon placed on their jackets and helmets departed from Lahore Polo Club and reached Indigo Heights. With passion and purpose, the group rode across Jail Road, Main Boulevard, Liberty Market and Hussain Chowk to highlight the message of White Ribbon.
The activity was the part of 16 Days of Activism to End Violence against Women, commemorated each year starting November 25 to December 10.
It was men reaching out to men in which bikers spread the message that beating women or violence against women is not okay. The riders took a pledge never to commit, excuse and remain silent about violence against women. They invited other men to join the men’s movement to end violence against women. A movement launched by the men who are not afraid to stop violence against women.
Talking to the media CEO White Ribbon Omer Aftab said, “We need millions of men as agents of change to end violence against women.” Eradicating violence against women from society is not possible without engaging men, he said. One of the representatives of the bikers’ group showed deep concern for the victims of violence and said a good Muslim and a good human being would never harm any woman around him and we must protect the women suffering from violence. Managing director of Indigo Heights Col (retd) Ahmad Fazeel Khan said Indigo Heights is a proud sponsor of the activity.
It’s an exciting initiative where riders who look cool and ride powerful bikes, talk about respectful relationships and tackling violence against women.
Patriarchal culture is one of the biggest barriers in ending violence against women. The system provides cultural support to men for undermining women. The system institutionalizes male power over women and puts male interests and values at the centre of social life. It allows or encourage men to exploit women.
The supporters of patriarchal society justify patriarchy by attributing natural biological differences between men and women. The Greek Philosopher Aristotle portrayed women as inferior to men morally, intellectually and physically. Patriarchal society gives absolute priority to men and some extent limits women’s human rights.
The patriarchal mindset gave birth to the masculinity and femineity in which both men and women are associated with some attributes, behaviours and roles that are acceptable and appropriate for people based on their gender ignoring the fact that both men (boys) and women (girls) can exhibit Masculine and Feminine traits and behaviour.
For instance, Women are supposed to be shy, passive and submissive. Men are expected to be tough, aggressive, dominant and self-confident. Women are supposed to cook, do housework and raise children. On the other hand, men cannot cook, do house chores or babysit. Women are expected to be beautiful, slim, clear skin and delicate while men are supposed to be tall, rough and muscular. Even jobs are gender-stereotyped, firefighting is thought of as a man’s job, whereas nursing is thought of as women’s work.
It is considered that women’s role in society is to reproduce and serve men in the household. All these gender-based beliefs lead to gender discrimination and unequal or unfair treatment to women.
Men who think they are superior, their destructive beliefs and expectations about what it means to be a man provoke them to show their manhood, strength and power through violence and aggression. More often than not, toxic masculinity ends up inflicting violence on women.
Patriarchy and toxic masculinity have an immense impact on the lives of women in every field of life. For instance, in government women have less formal power and representation. In the household, they are considered a machine who produce the children and raise them. Moreover, they are more likely to being abused physically, psychologically, emotionally, socially and economically. They have fewer opportunities in professional life and also paid less. They are treated negatively in terms of sexuality. They are more misrepresented and used as a commodity in media and popular culture.
Patriarchy does not necessarily mean that every man has control over every woman in every context. all men do not participate or experience patriarchy in the same way. Various groups, most notably the feminist movement, have led efforts to change aspects of patriarchy that they believe are oppressive or inaccurate.
Considering the situation “White Ribbon Campaign” is striving to eradicate violence against women with a unique approach of addressing the patriarchal mindset of induvial and society. It engages men to end the violence because men can play a significant role in ending violence against women by changing their behaviour towards women, challenging other abusive men and convincing others to stop violence against women too.
Working with men and boys can offer new models of masculinity and manhood, which reject gender violence and build respect for women and girls.
White Ribbon’s men engagement campaign engages decision-makers and opinion leaders who hold a good position in the society to get political, financial, and moral support in ending violence against women
White Ribbon also uses the concept of Fatherhood because It can be a strong motivator for men who engage in violence to end it while keeping in view the better upbringing and developmental process of their children. It is well considered to be a part of a long-term solution to ending violence.
We will be able to witness less violence in society as more men will focus on caregiving, nurturing and making efforts to bring up their kids as better human beings. It will ultimately result in less violence against children, less violence against women and less violence against other men.
HIV affects millions of people worldwide every year and is a major public health concern. HIV aims and contaminates the CD4 cells in immune system of a person’s body which protects him/her from germs and illnesses. HIV causes AIDS by attacking the CD4 cells, which the defense system uses to protect the body from ailments. Lack of awareness on precautionary measures and limited access to healthcare facilities are a major contributor to increasingly HIV mortalities.
In 2020, 680,000 people died because of HIV related causes and 37,700,000 estimated number of people were found living with HIV. Moreover 1,500,000 people were newly infected with this virus in the same year. World AIDS Day is observed every year on 1st December since 1988. This day is well thought-out as an opportunity for people worldwide to unite in the fight against HIV, to show support for people living with HIV, and to remember those who have died from an AIDS-related illness.
On the occasion of World AIDS Day, we must not forget that with our support and love, we can help many patients with AIDS feel a lot better. They are already suffering from AIDS, don’t make them suffer with your behavior. As long as it’s about HIV, hate the disease but not the diseased. Spread awareness, not ignorance. Together we must work hard to put an end to this disease and have a beautiful tomorrow.
The COVID 19 pandemic has brought unprecedented challenges for everyone, but particularly has intensified them for women living with abusive family members. In Punjab alone, two emergency helplines, PUCAR-15 and PSCA-A5, have recorded a dramatic rise in reports since the beginning of the pandemic, with PUCAR-15 reporting a staggering 25% increase. Unfortunately, while the number of reported cases may be on the rise, help available for victims is diminishing.
Pakistan is not alone in witnessing this alarming increase in domestic violence over the past year. In the UK, calls to the national abuse hotline escalated by 65%, while in China, reports of domestic violence cases to the local police tripled last year. Similar trends were witnessed in the Eastern Mediterranean Region, with many countries reporting increases of over 50%. Rozan, an organization supporting women’s rights, reported that mandatory quarantines resulting in restricted movement have become an added stressor for those facing pre-existing limitations on space. These have forced families to spend more time together, an environment in which stress can intensify. Economic and health-related uncertainty caused by the pandemic, such as increased unemployment and reduced access to hospitals, are further stressors behind abusers’ increased hostility towards their partners.
Suffice it to say, the COVID pandemic has contributed towards a deplorable pandemic of domestic violence. As the world’s attention is focused on developing vaccines to stem the spread of COVID-19, let us resolve to fight domestic violence. In the short term, we must encourage victims to reach out to community resources such as help-centers and helplines. According to multiple reports from women, such shelters have provided the monetary, legal, and rehabilitative help needed to escape their abusive circumstances. In addition to Rozan, there are many domestic violence centers and helplines victims in Pakistan can turn to; local domestic violence helplines include 1099 and 1043. Shelters include the Panah Shelter in Karachi, Dar-ul-Aman shelter in Lahore and the Shaheed Benazir Bhutto Center in Islamabad.
Individuals can pursue legislative action through collectivizing and demanding implementation of restorative justice mechanisms: legislative mechanisms that aim the focus of the court’s power on helping the victims. All parties involved in the complaint converge on the resolution that most effectively provides the victim with closure and empowerment, centering their needs. A study conducted in Salt Lake City, Utah in which abusers were assigned either into a traditional batterer intervention program or a hybrid traditional-plus-restorative justice program, indicated that participants from the hybrid program showed a 52% decline in the severity of new crimes over a two-year period.
Another course of action can be implemented through the healthcare sector: training of healthcare professionals on intimate partner violence so they can build their expertise, and subsequently undertake screening – a means of identifying victims of domestic violence. Such professionals can also advocate for greater psychological and legal support for victims. A greater emphasis needs to be placed on medico-legal departments, those in which the fields of medicine and law converge, in public hospitals in Pakistan. Such departments can help victims by providing other healthcare workers with guidance and knowledge on effective management of domestic violence victims.
We have resolved to win the fight against COVID-19. Let us also resolve to win the fight against domestic violence.
