AREEBA ALTAF KANASRO
Gender discrimination remained a major issue in Pakistan, where women are beaten by their men. Psychologically, women get harassed; they get killed by dowry deaths; they face acid attacks, physical violence, psychological abuse, honor killing, and child abuse. They are attacked due to many factors, including poverty, patriachalism, child marriage, marriage within extended families, and increased urbanization, that leave a huge impact on women psychologically and physically. They are mentally harassed; they don’t have bargaining power due to fear of murder and violence. The Federal Ombudsman Secretariat for Protection Against Harassment has revealed that 5008 cases of harassment reported during 2018–2022, during which women were often attacked or murdered by their in-laws who deemed their dowry to have been insufficient. Domestic violence is emerging as a silent pandemic in Pakistan.Pakistan 2,777 cases of domestic violence against women and marriage of young girls were reported in Sindh in one year, according to a report issued by the women’s development department of Sindh for the years 2022–2023. A woman, Fatima. She was burned to death in the kitchen of her home in Lahore on January 20, 2021. According to sources from the decade’s Every Year 2000 Cases Report, there must be unreported cases. Dowry deaths are found in India, Pakistan, Bangladesh, and Iran. Women face rapism; previously, on February 2, a woman got raped in Capital Territory F-9 Park. There have been women like Sarah Shahnawaz Noor Mukadam who went through the same. Twelve children, on average, were subjected to sexual abuse every day in Pakistan from January to June 2023, according to a report published by Sahil, a nonprofit organization. It said there were 1,207 girls and 1,020 boys in the cases it recorded in 2023. NCHR discloses that a staggering total of 4,213 children fell victim to various forms of abuse. The data was meticulously compiled by Sahil, with 53% of victims being girls and 47% boys. Shockingly, children as young as 0–5 years old were subjected to sexual abuse. highlighting the vulnerability of even the most innocent members of society. According to a 2023 report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), 10,365 cases of violence against women were reported to the police in Punjab from January 1, 2023, to April 30, 2023. The drama Qissa Meherbano Ka has started conversations on a matter that has so far been considered taboo in our society. [CONTINUE] The approach is to spread awareness about marital rape in societies, the tough situations a woman has to go through, how she is forcefully enforced in marriage, and at last, I would like to draw attention to the lack of Access to education for women in some lower areas Girls are taught the lesson of marriage, and from their childhood, they start seeing the dreams of it. They have never been taught about education or the sweet reality of struggle; they have never been allowed to see the thoughts of success, and they have never been told the true story of success. As they move in each step, they possess challenges because of a lack of education. At a very young age, they are bound to spousal relationships. Those women are in an inferiority complex; they have never thought that they can do something because these social stereotypes have never given them the opportunity to fly behind bars. But despite these challenges, some women have created history with their work. A few examples include Benezir Bhutto, the first woman prime minister; Sheikh Haseena Wajid, for more than 19 years combined; the longest serving monarch, Queen Elizabeth II; and the second longest serving chancellor of Germany in its modern history, Angela Merkel. She served for 16 consecutive years and established Germany as the economic giant of Europe. It was Marie Curie, a woman, who founded the science of radioactivity, which now proves helpful for the treatment of cancer. The longest-serving prime minister of the UK in the 20th century was also a woman, Margaret Thatcher. Not only this, but the record for the youngest Microsoft-certified professional is also held by a Pakistani girl, Arfa Abdul Karim. In recent times, Jacinda Arden, the former prime minister of New Zealand, has been hailed as one of the strongest and most efficient leaders in the world. New Zealand was one of the very few to tackle COVID-19 successfully. Malala Yousafzai became an international symbol of the fight for girls’ education; she bore a bullet to provide education to girls. There are many who have done outclass in different fields, but the ratio of girls to boys is low. Here, we have so much inspiration, but our girls do not have motivation. Our education system should start awareness campaigns about women’s rights and how to build confidence to speak for themselves. Ask for rights. A woman has the right to live her life fully.
