by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
No matter how much work is done for gender equality, women are still encountering so many problems including violence. In urban areas of Pakistan, the situation is better than the past but for the rural areas, we cannot say the same. Pakistani women have proved that she is capable of doing anything assigned to them but most women do not even get a chance to prove their worth.
The society has made them believe that they are inferior, less important than boys and have no capacity to do many tasks. Most of the women do not know that they have basic rights and they are an integral part of the society. The difference in gender does not lessen their importance and human rights. They, their decisions and their privacy must be respected and they can do whatever they want to do.
Now the question arises that how can we empower women so that we can put a full stop to gender inequality and violence against women.
The first step is to change the psyche of Pakistani women and convey them they should not undermine themselves. Empowerment is about creating an environment where a woman is free to choose what she wants to do, she knows her rights and knows how to get them, she can comment and suggest about economic, political and cultural issues. Providing them equal opportunities like boys to participate in any segment of life as per their choice. Making a woman socially, politically and economically strong is a sustainable solution to ending gender violence and inequality.
Following are some empowerment techniques that can build self-esteem in women and girls.
- Providing education to women is the best gift to empower them. Educated women can understand their rights, psychology of men, handle people, perform a job by acquiring skills and rely on themselves. Ultimately it broadens their vision and teaches them how to tackle the problems and live a more productive life.
- Awareness regarding their health, reproductive system, childbearing, breastfeeding and hygiene and makes them conscious. It raises their life expectancy and enhances the ability to decide what is right for them and what should they do.
- Economic independence can reduce the level of gender-based violence. Pushing women to acquire skills and contribute to their house, society, country and the world. Teach them to play an active role in their society. Women’s economic empowerment includes women’s ability to participate equally in existing markets; their access to and control over productive resources, access to decent work, control over their own time, lives and bodies; and increased voice, agency and meaningful participation in economic decision-making at all levels from the household to international institutions. Chances are very high that these skilled women will do further work to empower other women. Economic independence develops confidence and self-worth into them which gives them the ability to demand respect and peace in their relationships.
- Awareness about all the laws preventing harmful activities against women and the procedure to access the law is the most important task in empowering women. Government and civil society must show strong commitment, and accelerate actions to increase women’s access to justice that advances women’s equal rights, opportunity and participation. Rule of law helps to minimize violence against women so we must endorse zero tolerance policy about this issue.
- Making sure their participation in the decision-making process at all levels such as household, human development, political, education, job, workplace, pursuing personal interest, cultural, marriage, childbearing and economic, trade and development policies. Empowerment of women will improve their status generally and enable them to actively and effectively participate in key decision-making processes. Increasing their ability to make decisions will boost their confidence. Building social networks and making them socially active enhance their ability to decide rightfully.
- Encouraging them to participate in politics and leadership roles. It does not only raise their confidence but also they can empower other women by inspiring and working on the policies and legislation from the top level.
White Ribbon Pakistan is promoting gender equality, women’s empowerment and their enjoyment of human rights. We believe in making the home and public spaces safer for women and girls, ensuring women’s economic autonomy and security and increasing women’s participation and decision-making powers—in the home, as well as in public life and politics.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
When domestic abuse is discussed a thought came across the mind of people that why these women do not leave their abusive husbands?
Domestic violence is repeating and unending cycle in which you can count physical, psychological, sexual, economic and emotional abuse. If Abuser controls everything and does not give a woman access to health, education, resources and even her parents, it is also included in violence.
Most women never left their abusive husbands, some left their husband after a long time of suffering because of multiple reasons. Many of them go to their parents’ house but just to go back, time and again.
The reasons include the following:
- Believing or hoping that the man will change
- Economic dependency
- For the sake of children (Children and Single Parenthood)
- Poor support system (Lack of intervention) and Social pressure
- Norms and myths, Personal guilt and the concept of personal failure
- Negligence of law enforcement agencies
- Fear of what the partner will do
When domestic violence starts at the beginning of relationship women tell their hearts that the abuser will change with time and they pass a long time hoping the same.
In Pakistani culture, a woman remains economically depended on all her life. This is a common expression that no one except husband will bear the expenditures after marriage. Brothers and family of a woman do not support her normally. After the marriage and kids, the woman starts thinking of her children instead of herself. This is our traditional belief that for a better upbringing a child should know and have both mother and father.
In Pakistan, we have a saying that “Once a woman leaves her mother’s house as a bride, she can only return in a coffin.” After the marriage, no one helps and support the woman so that she can overcome the abusive relationship. Even she always get suggestions to bear the pain as it is considered a tradition. Most of the families consider that if their daughter gets a divorce they will lose their dignity and respect in the society so they choose pain, trauma, abortions, miscarriages, sufferings and even death over their so-called respect.
People continue to believe in pseudo-self-created values but don’t respect woman’s rights as an equal human being even in the 21st century. Norms and myths hold women not to speak up. It is usual, it happens in homes, we fight most with the people whom we love, if a husband stops beating his wife it is considered that he has indulged in some other woman. These norms contribute more to increase domestic violence. It is also considered that women are weak they are nothing without their husband. Now millions of women have no self-esteem and they also consider them wrong and they accept all the pain as their fate.
If a woman takes some courage and gains the support of family members then our systems fail her. She fears to go to the police because they encourage both parties to compromise. Lack of interest, pressure from the man side and negligence of police leads her to step back. The same case is with our judicial system people avoid to take their cases to the court because of the inefficient system. Many of them fear that the person abusing them will harm them after coming back from jail because the state is not doing something tangible
Pakistan needs to adopt an approach of domestic violence cases being registered by the state rather than the family (Sindh police took this surprisingly smart step in a recent case) so the victims aren’t inevitably ‘pardoned’ every time in the name of so-called honour.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
Patriarchy is a system of social organization that institutionalizes male power over women and puts male interests and values at the center of social life. Sylvia Walby explains patriarchy as “a system of interrelated social structures which allow men to exploit women.” This definition recognizes patriarchy as being institutionalized subordination and exploitation of women.
The supporters of patriarchal society justify patriarchy by attributing natural biological differences between men and women. They also focus on the influences that hormones have over biological systems. The ‘male hormone’ testosterone is responsible for masculinizing a man, whereas ‘female hormone’ estrogen feminizes a woman. In short, women are considered inferior to men intellectually and physically. According to this social system women role in society is to reproduce and serve men in the household. On the basis of recent studies and researches, it can be rightly said that there is no correlation between skull capacity and brain weight and intellectual power, yet there is still a constant struggle of gender bias in science.
Some theories also discuss patriarchy through a psychological perspective based on gender differences in psychology which are the differences in mental functions and behaviors of the sexes. Such differences are found in a variety of fields, such as mental health, cognitive abilities, personality and tendency towards aggression. Males on average are more assertive and have higher self-esteem. Females were on average higher than males in extraversion, anxiety, empathizing skills, trust, and, especially, tender-mindedness. Women also reported a more intense and more frequent experience of affect, joy, and love but also experienced more embarrassment, guilt, shame, sadness, anger, fear, and distress
Patriarchy is a multilayered, multifaceted social structure that extends across all levels such as personal, interpersonal, social, institutional, in family, in community and in government etc. The pattern of violence within personal relationships and communities grew over time because patriarchy has developed and changed over time. Virtually in practice, all societies are more or less patriarchal in nature, whereas there is no such evidence found in constitutions and laws governing such societies. The factor of patriarchy has itself integrated with the social, moral, legal, political, religious and economic organization of various cultures.
The process by which children acquire the values, motives, and behaviors viewed as appropriate for males and females within a culture is called gender typing. Children develop gender-based beliefs, largely based on gender stereotypes; which reflected in gender roles later. Children adopt a gender identity early in life and develop gender-role preferences as well.
Patriarchy has an immense impact on the lives of women in every field of life. For instance, in state/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 is a social system so, all men do not participate or experience patriarchy in the same way. Patriarchy does not necessarily mean that every man has control over every woman in every context. Various groups, most notably the feminist movement, have led efforts to change aspects of patriarchy that they believe are oppressive or inaccurate.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
From mainstream media to entertainment, portrayal of women as ‘damsels in distress’ is a phenomenon all too common
Aroosa Shaukat
But the battle is far from over. From mainstream news media to entertainment industry, portrayal of women as the usual ‘damsel in distress’ is a phenomenon all too common, says White Ribbon CEO, Omer Aftab. “There has been so much reinforcement of stereotypes altering societal attitudes for so long that it almost always puts the blame on women, even when they are the victims,” he says. A campaigner for women’s rights, Aftab says fighting patriarchy is all the more challenging since it exists in varying forms in different strata of the society.
For rights campaigners, sensitisation of mainstream media has remained a challenge for far too long, says Aftab. Citing instances of news coverage of rape and abuse forcing victims to flee their neighbourhoods and even cities, Aftab says, at times, news coverage has amounted to nothing short of a ‘second assault’ on abuse survivors. And it doesn’t end there. With crime re-enactment shows taking much of primetime spots on news channels, the focus has been on sensationalising crime. “Somewhere in that process, the plot is lost. There is indirect condemnation of the victim instead of the perpetrator,” he says.
In 2013, a media code of ethics was developed by White Ribbon following focused group discussions with journalists across the country, which was endorsed by over 150 journalists at its launch the same year. With vows made to re-evaluate news reporting, rights campaigners felt mainstream journalists made an effort to act responsibly. Aftab notes that in the past five years there has been a noticeable change in how media reports such stories, though the same remains questionable in some quarters. Another problem is the tone set in some talk shows, especially by hosts. “What needs to be understood is the influence these individuals carry. We also need to look at the mindset of the people in media itself, and how that shapes public opinion and attitude,” he says.
Mazaaq Raat, a television talk show aired on a private news channel, which featured Mohsin Abbas, recently started issuing disclaimers following the domestic abuse allegations against the actor-singer. The disclaimer stated that the channel has distanced itself from the actor in the wake of the recent allegations since some episodes were recorded prior to the case, they have content that features Abbas. The channel has said that until the actor clears his name, he will not be part of future episodes of the show. The disclaimer was run recently before and during the airing of the show.
Aftab says some major cases of violence were brought to light after these were taken up on social media. Allegations against Abbas were also initially taken up on social media following her wife’s posts on Facebook and Twitter. “Voices that are being raised through social media are difficult to silence,” says Aftab. However, for campaigners the difficulty is in gauging how media weighs out issues of abuse and social injustice against other mainstream stories. For rights activists, convincing mainstream media to continue to focus on these issues remains difficult. “Unless there is an incident, no one is willing to take up the issue till there is a pressure from social media. Wait for another ten days and see how many in the news media continue to talk about abuse or violence against women.”
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
While fighting for the freedom of Pakistan Fatima Jinnah and Begum Rana Liaquat Ali Khan did not know that in the country they are struggling for women will not be free in reality. Pakistan came into existence in the name of Islam and founded by a Muhammad Ali Jinnah who had pluralistic values. He formed Pakistan so that every human being can live freely but still after passing 72 years vulnerable members of our society especially women are not enjoying the True liberty.
People need to understand that women have been created free just like men and they have the right to live without any intrusion of others which is natural and legitimate desire. Because of some cultural values and norms, women are being treated inhumanly in Pakistan.
This year Pakistan will celebrate 73rd of its independence. The question arises that, are women in Pakistan really free? Do women enjoy the same freedom in all aspects of life as compared to men in Pakistan? We realize that In 72 years we could not apply basic human competency and decency completely. We could not eradicate domestic violence, physical, psychological, sexual, economic and emotional abuse, acid attacks, molestation, harassment, child and forced marriages, forced prostitution, honor killings and modern slavery of women. Most of our women do not have access to health, education, and other resources. So the answer is crystal clear “Not”.
According to the Global Slavery Index, 16.8 persons per 1000 population estimated 3.19 million live in modern slavery and Pakistan Ranks 7th out of 10 countries that comprise 60 percent of modern slaves.
Many NGOs like White Ribbon Pakistan have been working to eradicate inequality and injustice against women and create awareness. Many laws have been made because of the efforts of human rights activists and NGOs but lack of implementation of these laws create chaos in society. Government of Pakistan seems serious to deal with the situation and have adopted a number of key international commitments to remove gender inequality and deliver women’s human rights but the feudal mentality and the system of patriarchy are not letting the nation grow positively.
People of Pakistan who believe in gender equality remain mute and sedated. Our moral and social growth is suppressed. So, we have to grow up morally, socially and politically to end the violence against women and eliminate the inequality among genders. We need to resist the dogma and declare ourselves ready for a different world in which we are against the awful things done in the name of honor. We need to work towards acceptance across genders. We need to embrace education so that we can end our collective abuse.
Independence Day is celebrated with extraordinary enthusiasm at the public and private level in Pakistan. We must deal with the issues of Pakistan with the same eagerness and must not remain silent especially when we need to respond urgently as a society. We hope that one day the whole nation regardless of gender, religion, caste and creed will celebrate Independence Day in Pakistan.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
In the Stone Age times, most of the societies were called Hunter-Gatherers. The role of men and women were different in these societies. These roles were defined because of biological difference between genders. Most of the women had the role of gathering and men had the role of Hunter. In the society, man would make hunting tools and hunt and the women would do the rest such as gathering wild plants, seeds, nuts and other things from the wild, cook the food, take care of the children, make the clothes with animal fur and make accessories with bones. Both were working hard to survive but the roles were different.
Human go through many ages after stone age and different kind of societies developed but Historical evidence suggests that patriarchal social structures did not develop until the end of Pleistocene era around 11,700 years ago, in which nearly all of the societies were relatively egalitarian ones, i.e ‘equality for all.’
After the Pleistocene era Agriculture was started and people began to settle down. Then they had properties and resources to be protected and preserved. The system of passing property to the male children was started. For the protection of property physically stronger men brothers, sons, fathers, grandfathers, and uncles used to live near to each other. The custom was started that females move to live with their husband’s family. Men had enough support and power than women and it became the base of inequality among genders. And women almost lost the support from the group they grew up with and start living in oppression as they had no choice.
Patriarchy a system of social organization was developed. The system institutionalizes male power over women and puts male interests and values at the center of social life. In this social system, men hold primary power and predominate women in every role and every field.
Concept of patriarchy is based on masculinity, biological differences and gender roles defined by the social system. Patriarchy and male dominance are always justified by attributing natural differences between men and women. Historically, patriarchy has manifested itself in the social, legal, political, religious, and economic organization of a range of different cultures.
The Greek Philosopher Aristotle portrayed women as inferior to men morally, intellectually and physically. These works saw women as property of men and claimed that women’s role in society is to reproduce and serve men in the household. He used to observe men as being superior and perfect.
About six hundred years ago, the concept of ‘Fatherhood’ emerged as the beginning of the spread of patriarchy. And the theorists of 16th and 17th Century agreed with Aristotle’s views concerning the place of women in society.
These beliefs were questioned by some intellectual authorities, including Diderot’s encyclopedia and by works of Sarah Grimke in the 19th century. In the 19th century, many efforts were made for gender equality but a big change has come after the feminist movement started in the 1970s. Feminist Theory defines Patriarchy as an unjust social system that enforces gender roles and is oppressive to both men and women. According to Boserup, women have inferior positions because they are denied access to training and education. From the perspective of modern Jungian psychology, patriarchy can be seen as an immature form of masculinity and an attack on masculinity and femininity both.
Many activists and scholars have called for ‘Culture Repositioning’ as a method to deconstruct patriarchy, male chauvinism, and sexism. Restoring and strengthening equalit
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
White Ribbon marked the White Ribbon Day for Elimination of Violence against Women and launched a nationwide pledge campaign in connection with International Day on Violence against Women falling on November 25.
White Ribbon launched its official theme of the year #iPledge. The purpose of launching this theme is to engage the maximum number of people especially men and boys to take the pledge; Never to Commit, never to support and never to remain silent about Violence against Women.
At the launch CEO, White Ribbon Omer Aftab showed solidarity with victims of violence. Expressing concerns over current condition of Pakistani women, he stressed on the need of immediate steps for the eradication of violence against women. 1 out of 5 women in Pakistan faces domestic violence and the ratio has alarmingly increased by 20% in recent years.
Omer Aftab explained that the objective of the campaign is to raise awareness of women’s rights, strengthen support mechanism for victims of violence and advocate for pro-women legislation. Fulfilment of women rights is an ongoing struggle and all the stakeholders must join hands for this cause, he added.
White Ribbon is men’s movement to end violence against women with a unique approach of addressing the patriarchal mindset of individuals and the society. We believe it is not sufficient to create awareness about women rights among women only but it is necessary that men join along with them; to encourage norms of consent, respect and gender equality; to challenge the unfair power relations which promote gender-based violence.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
Domestic Violence (DV) remains an enormous social problem In Pakistan. Generally, female domestic violence is considered a private family issue without any appropriate focus on assessment, intervention, and solutions in Pakistani society. Women have to bear violence and discrimination on a daily basis due to the misuse of social and cultural values in the Pakistani society.
Pakistan ranks as the sixth most dangerous country in the world for women, with cases of sexual crimes and domestic violence recording a rapid rise. Activists blame society’s patriarchal attitudes for the problem.
According to the Pakistan Demographic and Health Survey
- 7% of women have experienced violence during pregnancy.
- 34% of ever-married women have experienced spousal physical, sexual, or emotional violence.
- The most common type of spousal violence is emotional violence (26%), followed by physical violence (23%).
- 26% of ever-married women have sustained injuries. Cuts and bruises are the most common types of injuries reported.
- 56% of affected women never sought any help or talked with anyone about resisting or stopping the violence.
There is legislation for domestic violence in Pakistan and it is enforced too but the conviction rate is very low. According to the recent report, in Punjab, registered cases of domestic violence are more than one-third of all criminal cases but the conviction rate is almost 2.5 person of all registered cases. Remember these registered cases are just the tip of the iceberg because most of cases go unreported.
Victim can go the police to file an FIR and even for protection. In Pakistan situation is not ideal but better from the past now police give protection and send the aggrieved person to the shelter home and take action against the offender. but it does not happen all the time because of the corrupt system and lack of resources. unfortunately, In Pakistan, most of women even don’t know about protection bill and don’t seek shelters from the government.
In case of fear of death and severe injuries an aggrieved person can apply for obtaining a protection order under section 9. If the Court is satisfied that any violence has been committed or is likely to be committed, the Court may pass a protection order in favour of the aggrieved person and direct the defendant:
In the province of Punjab, there is Women’s Toll-Free Helpline 1043 available 24/7. Managed and supervised by PCSW. In the province of Sindh, women helpline 1094 is working to do the same. In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa a toll-free helpline ‘Bolo’ (Speak out) 0800-22227 is working for women of confronting any distressing situation or condition. Ministry of Human Rights has a help line: 1099 to assist women about the religious and legal protection and right to inheritance.
Social Welfare Department established Dar-ul-Aman in all 36 districts of Punjab to give shelter to the women victims of violence. These homes can accommodate 20 to 50 residents at a time.
Social welfare department is running Dar-ul-Aman in other provinces too but they are less in numbers. Even in Baluchistan The Dar-ul-Aman facility is available only in Quetta.
In Sindh a non-profit organization Panah is also running a project called “Panah Shelter Home” located in Karachi.
In the province of Punjab “The Punjab Commission on the Status of Women” is running a project Transitional Housing for Women. It is envisioned as a residency program that includes support services and is designed as a bridge to self-sufficiency. The objective of setting up Transitional housing for women victims of violence across Punjab is to provide survivors of violence with safe and secure housing so that they are not forced to live in other substandard/unsafe conditions or return to their abusers.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
Researches and practices show that men can play a significant role in ending violence against women. So, we focus on men’s role in preventing violence. Men can influence the results by changing their behaviour and convincing others to stop violence against women too.
Men are not born violent. Some become violent because of destructive beliefs and expectations about what it means to be a man. Many cultural norms are contributing in violence against women. The social system of patriarchy is the most prominent reason which causes violence against women. Gender biasedness and discrimination of that social system is made by sexist minds who wanted to exploit women and put male interests and values at the centre of social life. Working with men and boys can offer new models of masculinity and manhood, which reject gender violence and build respect for women and girls.
Because patriarchy is related to men so, we have to consider working with them to resolve cultural issues and change their mind. So, Gender violence needs to be approached as a men’s issue. Overwhelmingly men hurt women so, working with men and boys can end violence against women.
Not every man supports the patriarchal mindset. Most men respect women and do not believe in violence against women. Educating these men can mobilize them to support the change by choosing not to commit violence and challenge those men who do.
Involving men and make them recognize their responsibilities to reduce gender-based violence and ensure the safety of women and girls. Engaging men make them feel that Women, children, and men are all hurt because of violence. so, their participation can make life safer for everyone.
Peer pressure is very prevalent in our society we can use it to end violence against women. People listen to their peers or they care about opinions of others. So, we can mobilize men and boys to talk to each other about respect for women and girls, and share information about violence prevention with other men in their families, workplaces, and communities.
Our men engagement campaign convinced many men who hold a good position in the society. These decision-makers and opinion leaders are providing their political, financial, and moral support in ending violence. we are hopeful that more common men and influencers will join our campaign to reduce the violence from the society.
by admin | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized
Practitioners, policy advocates, and researchers have come to an agreement that we must engage men and boys across the individual, community, institutional, and societal levels to end violence against women (VAG). So, it is important to work across different sectors to effect change at different levels of the social ecology.
To bring change at the individual level we must start from the adolescents because in this age boys develop attitudes, gender relations and gender identities. Starting male engagement program at school level and reaching out to young boys at home and playgrounds too is necessary to form their positive attitudes towards opposite gender. We must teach young boys to adopt positive masculinities through well-tested, evidence-based group-work methodologies to form more equitable gender relations.
We must highlight the positive role of men in front of boys for instance caregivers. we must persuade them to be caregiver withing their families and then communities because men’s involvement with their families is an important component of supporting their social reintegration in post-conflict situations. Youth must be taught that social justice is crucial to have a better life so boys and girls have to struggle together to have one.
We are running unique and most effective men engagement program which focuses on fatherhood concept. We have observed that most abusers don’t listen to anyone regarding their behaviour but when it comes to the education of their children they do listen. When we tell them that their violent behaviour can affect the healthy development of their children and they can imitate them now and in future too, this affects more than anything and they start trying to change their violent behaviour for their children.
