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The age of patriarchy

The age of patriarchy

by | 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

White Ribbon pledge campaign launched

White Ribbon pledge campaign launched

by | 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.

Support Mechanism for Domestic Violence Victims

Support Mechanism for Domestic Violence Victims

by | 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.

How Men Engagement Can Reduce the Violence Against Women

How Men Engagement Can Reduce the Violence Against Women

by | 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.

How to engage men to lessen the violence at the individual level

How to engage men to lessen the violence at the individual level

by | 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.

How to engage men to lessen the violence on the community level

How to engage men to lessen the violence on the community level

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized

To tackle the violence against women and girls, we must ensure community-level prevention and response mechanisms. Evidence shows that the traditions, beliefs, norms and practices that operate within communities are major barriers to women’s access to justice, protection and freedom from violence. Social norms and practices can make it difficult for women to formally report violence and seek justice so, it is crucial to confront these barriers.

Engaging at the community level is essential to improving support to survivors of violence, who tend to turn to the community rather than to formal services. community-level support and referral networks are therefore needed alongside interventions to improve the provision of specialist Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG) services.

Organizations with initiatives to engage men and boys in preventing violence against women focus on group education, community outreach, mobilization and mass media campaigns to reduce the violence against women and girls. We can use the “gender transformative” approach which challenges rigid gender roles and question the influence of social-cultural, community, and institutional factors as well as individual beliefs and attitudes.

To end the VAW at the community level we have to confront the dominant and harmful norms of masculinity that are viral. Peer pressure is one of the reasons that gender-based violence (GBV) takes place. We must give support to those who are dealing with peer pressure and condemn those who are promoting harmful ideas. If the whole community starts opposing VAW we can use peer pressure to end violence too by social influences and promoting positive norms of masculinity.

Organizing men to undertake action by discussing positive masculinities is effective to make them change their attitudes and behaviors. We must focus on increasing the role of men in responding to the VAW it will encourage other men to do the same and discourage those who are involved in VAW.

We must involve the community and religious leaders to address the harmful traditional practices and ask them to promote reforms and bring change in the community. We can attain a positive change by giving a religious point of view and positive social norms without challenging the patriarchal basis of their authority.

How to engage men on institutional level to lessen the Violence Against Women

How to engage men on institutional level to lessen the Violence Against Women

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized

Individual and community level strategies for change must be complemented by initiatives directed at reforming the institutions that shape people’s lives and affect women’s and girls’ vulnerability to violence and their ability to access needed services.

Women’s movements throughout the world continue to exert pressure for policy change, but programming with men on Gender Based Violence (GBV) prevention has rarely focused on advocating for policy development on such violence. Mobilizing men on issues of GBV and gender equality can make them actively involved in policy advocacy and campaigning.

We must identify and nurture internal champions to facilitate Institutional reforms. initiatives and mainstream gender training can provide the necessary leadership to initiate and sustain institutional reforms. We need to invest sufficient time and resources to train and then mentor the people who can further influence others to bring policies that can reduce the Violence against women and girls. Reforming the policies and ‘cultures’ of male-dominated institutions is an important priority for male engagement programming to end VAWG.

Arranging workshops on women’s rights, gender equality, and institutional responsibilities can be proved effective to bring institutional reforms. We can persuade them to stop Violence Against Women and Girls (WAWG) by sensitizing them about gender socialization, harmful norms of masculinity and best practices. It will motivate them to commit to change institutional culture and practices concerning VAWG.

Another promising and relatively neglected area of work with men on ending VAWG is to address the role that men can play to create a more conducive public environment for efforts to end VAWG. The principle of men holding other men accountable for their patriarchal behavior should be extended to holding male authority figures accountable for their public discourse.

Working with Men and Boys for Change at The Societal Level

Working with Men and Boys for Change at The Societal Level

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized

In recent years, significant progress has been made in Pakistan concerning legislative and policy action on Violence Against Women and Girls (VAWG). But the real problem to be tackled is inadequate funding and implementation of such laws and policies. Men dominate all the institutions, development of policies and laws, implementation and enforcement of laws and the provision of justice all are in control of men. From workplaces to schools to law enforcement and justice systems, these institutions not only tend to be led by men but are often infused with the very patriarchal norms and ‘cultures’ that underpin VAWG So, it is critical to target the men to improve the situation and end the violence.

Justice remains in inaccessible and unresponsive to women and girls because of many reasons. The government, law enforcement agencies and justice officials can play their roles to end the violence.

Male engagement at the societal level is vital for gender equality and social justice. We have to take sustainable actions to challenge inequitable norms and practices of masculinity. Designing and developing interventions requires a movement-building perspective that can contribute fetch change in a community or society. This requires attention to fostering links between organizations and investing in movement-building opportunities, focused only on working with men on positive masculinities and those working on women’s empowerment.

The challenge of ending VAWG is the challenge of changing unequal relations of political, economic, and social power. Supporting the efforts of social movements, which are campaigning for gender justice as part of their social justice work, and targeting male engagement work within such social movements to enlist their support as allies is an important direction for male engagement programming to take.

First-ever Hum Women Leaders Awards to Honor iconic trailblazers

First-ever Hum Women Leaders Awards to Honor iconic trailblazers

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized

Hum Network Limited took the initiative to recognize and honor the contribution and achievements of iconic women from Pakistan and around the world.

Hum Network honored “Omer Aftab” also, The only male champion of change amongst 11 distinguished women. Omer Aftab received the 1st “Lux Hum Women Leadership Award” for his contributions toward social reforms and women empowerment.

How to overcome anxiety and financial stress over coronavirus pandemic

How to overcome anxiety and financial stress over coronavirus pandemic

by | Oct 25, 2022 | Uncategorized

The survival of the fittest can be a perfect phrase that can describe our world today.

The coronavirus pandemic has hit the world so hard that it is impossible for most of us to comprehend its magnitude. No matter how many problems have existed before, we have never experienced the world to come together, and fight for a single cause as one enormous family.

It is comforting to see the empathy for every country and nation, but also very disheartening to see how unprepared we were for a pandemic crisis like this. This novel coronavirus pandemic has forced us to ponder on how we all used to take our lives for granted. How ill-informed we were about our capacities and strengths.

The definition of a superpower – a country that could dominate and exert influence on a global scale through its means of economic, military, technological, and cultural strength has entirely changed to a nation that can save its people’s lives with the best of health facilities.

Now the next question is, how to survive the economic crisis? At this moment, no expert can analyze and share an accurate picture of the abyss we will fell into.

It is anticipated that millions of employees will be laid off, and the world economy will be shaken to its core. But what you and I can do about this?

The foremost step is to accept the current state of affairs. To overcome anxiety, we must accept that our lives are going to be changed for a while and we should focus on areas that we can control. Focus on your strengths and abilities and remember the last time, when things got bad, and how you got through them.

We all have a role to play, to do what we do best. We must understand that this pandemic will leave us with other serious problems which might take some time to get back to normal. However, we must remember that working hard and taking care of our mental health is the key to survival.

These are the three ways you can overcome anxiety about this pandemic and your financial stress:

Take care of your body

Some exercises can really heal you from inside. Take deep breaths, stretch, or meditate. In these times, nervous eating is the most common habit so try to avoid that. Eat healthy, well-balanced meals on time. Regular exercise and 7-8 hours’ sleep can truly reduce your stress levels.

Make time to unwind

This is true that a person who follows one hobby can sustain good mental health. Do something creative, which makes you feel productive in these days of quarantine? For some, it can be cooking or painting, or playing music, or even getting closer to God.

Organize Work From Home

For many of us, working from home is a new routine. Therefore, understanding that this is the only option can make you understand that things will be different for some time but not necessarily unproductive. Get up early in the morning and dress up so you can follow a schedule. Make a to-do list and follow it one by one. By the end of your working hours, it will give you a sense of accomplishment and you would feel less stressed about your job or business. Stay connected with your co-workers. Listen to their issues, help each other follow a work from home routine. Be concerned, be supportive.

Connect With Others

Fear and anxiety are natural and normal emotions to experience. The fear over the coronavirus has taken us all down, but it should not consume our lives completely.

The anxiety we all feel is the fear of the unknown. We, humans, are programmed to schedule, plan, and control our lives. When this is taken from us, especially collectively, we feel scared and the fear of what will happen next increases our stress and anxiety.

We all react differently when we are challenged with anxiety. Some people start overacting by hoarding of food, unwanted items to take control of their situation. While some are glued to all mediums of information.

In these tough times, for the sake of our mental health, we should only stick to the facts, and not follow and believe everything that we hear and read. Only check trusted sources for information and updates. There is no need to watch the news all day. Talk to people who you trust. Social distancing doesn’t mean you disconnect with the world. Talk to your trusted people about your fear, anxiety, and concerns. Tell them how you are feeling.

Coronavirus came like an unpleasant surprise. Rather than creating a panic, we must learn from others and adopt the best practices. We all must exercise crisis management and mold our routines accordingly.

We are in deep rapture, and so in deep opportunity. It is up to us how we deal with these times and become a source of hope for ourselves and our loved ones. We must learn to accept and adopt one thing at a time.