Violence against Women in Pakistan - Essay Example

Running Head: SEX, VIOLENCE AND TRANSGRESSION: CASE STUDY: VIOLENCE AGAINST WOMEN IN PAKISTAN Violence against Women in Pakistan Name Institution Date Violence against women in Pakistan Articles by Khan in The News, 2003, 16. Nasreen, a young Pakistan woman in August 2002, ran for refuge in a local Darul Aman, Female Shelter House, at Peshawar in North West Frontier Province of Pakistan, she gave an account of the situation of her life with her husband over a period of fifteen years. She explained how her husband blamed her for the problems facing the family that her arrival in that house had led to more wrangles and poverty. All the house chores were done by Nasreen all day, and more so, she worked partially as a maid to earn at least some money to buy food in the house. Despite of this, she narrated of how she was being beaten, and being tortured by pressing coal against her body, and kicked in the head and stomach. Her sisters-in-law and mother-in-law administered regular beatings following very minor domestic disagreements. Nasreen could do nothing to alter the situation in her household. Left with no alternative, she finally deserted her matrimonial home leaving behind her to underage boys with the in-laws since she could not even be able to provide for them. Her life was sent into disarray for ever. Her parents will not accept her back; society had discriminated against her and she has no way to any financial means. No legal action was taken against her husband (Khan, 2003). The risk factor in the case study Pakistani women have a tough time in their country. It is compared to being born with a disadvantage that is permanent throughout the woman’s life. Culture and society work together to the disadvantage of a woman in Pakistan. When fathers, relatives and husbands traumatize and torture them, the women have no where to run to (Goonesekere, 2004). Nasreen is a selfless woman who did her best to see that her marriage works. For a good fifteen years, Nasreen has been trapped in an abusive marriage with the hope that her marriage can be salvaged. She humbly took the beatings from her mother-in-law and sisters-in-law with the determination that she has to make her matrimonial home remain intact. She was beaten and humiliated at the slightest and flimsy excuses that could be fabricated. She tolerated this abusive treatment for a period of fifteen year until when she could not take it any longer. According to Jones (2011), apparently the survival of a woman on Pakistan soil is a risky affair that can not be dictated by the sheer will power and determination of the woman. So many things in the society inculcated in religion and culture work aggressively against her according her the lowest place in society. A woman can hardly tell what will happen to her in the next minute despite doing everything right. The society seems not to care at all and there are no other women who will come out in the open and defend their fellow women (Burney, 2009). Nasreen did all her house chores and moreover, worked part time to get money for food; this was not considered to be enough sacrifice by her in-laws and her husband. They all ganged up to make her life miserable. The picture painted in the media is that violation of women in Pakistan is an everyday affair and no body seems to be concerned or moved by the turn of events in such cases. The life of a woman is at risk and it is obvious no one is responsible for the welfare of women. Goonesekere (2004) argues that dominance by male and commoditization expose women to violence in every day life in Pakistan. Close to between 90% and 70% of women in Pakistan are exposed to domestic violence. Typical acts of violence include, but are not confined to rape, murder for “honor”; and marital rape through spousal abuse, acid attacks and being burned to death by family members. A rape happens every after two hours in Pakistan with one woman in twelve thousands five hundred being rape victims. Five women are killed per day and two women every day in the region of Punjab are kidnapped. Incidents of women being disfigured by acid attacks being through to them by men have been escalating (Noor, 2004). Many women in Pakistan have been reserved to be slaves to cultural and social restrictions that reflect the injustices that are gender-based in the region. Despite the major parts of Asia experiencing remarkable decline in fertility in the past years following escalating female liberation, employment and education a handful of countries, with Pakistan inclusive, Pakistan remains prominent with absence of significant change in fertility (Jones, 2011). Facts in demography concerning the society in Pakistan like the female literacy rate that is abysmally low paint a situation of a culture that is against women whereby women are compelled to sacrifice their chances of survival, life options and health. Men are meant to suppress and dominate women in private and public spheres. Maltreatment of women in Pakistan is widespread across all regions but Muslims come on top of the list. Systematic brutalization characterizes the life of a woman in Pakistan making her disadvantaged and exposed to high risk concerning his, welfare, life or health. Patriarchal control on women in Pakistan involves the institutionalization of codes of behavior that are extremely restrictive. There is presence of prevalent rigid gender segregation that is rigid which make women to be barred from enjoying economic and social opportunities. Women have no defense to turn to when they are discriminated against and confined to the lowest place in the society. Every opportunity that is availed to them is surrounded by an element of risk, and it will be a fairy tale for a Pakistani woman to talk about happiness (Noor, 2004). Particular kinship and family forms a strong ideology that links female virtue to family honor give permission to men to control women and have total dominion over them. Men are given the responsibility of safeguarding the honor of the family by controlling the female members, particular through having dominion over the body of a female, in terms of both its sexual ability and sexuality. When the behavior of a woman is seen as putting the patriarchal order in jeopardy, it is the very body that is punished severely through burnings, beatings, sexual abuse, and even in some circumstances murder to gain honor. Many women in Pakistan have reported being beaten, slapped, kicked, and brutally sexually abused when their fathers, brothers or husbands accuse them of substandard cleaning or cooking (Burney, 2009). In the case of Nasreen, when she finally deserts her matrimonial home even her parents decline to take her back and she has to seek refuge in a local Female Shelter House. If women in Pakistan were being considered with equal respect as men those shelter houses will not have been in place. They exist to take care of abused women since the abuse of women in Pakistan is very high. The life of a woman is at risk in Pakistan. ‘Honor’ killing entails killing women or females who transgress for the restoration of family honor which is unfortunately defined in masculine terms for insurance of collective identity (Bergen, Edleson & Renzetti, 2011). Noor (2004), elaborates that the killing itself is an impunity against women. Women, who are sexually abused, such like through rape, are killing to preserve the honor of the family so that the female does not remain alive as a living disgrace. Social prestige (ghairat) and family respect (izzat) justify honor killing in Pakistan. It is believed that the honor of a person is defined by the behavior exhibited by others, and that behavior consequently should be controlled. Consequently, other people’s behavior (not their own) is a key element in the feeling of community regard and self-worth of an individual. Honor is the main connection between the community and the individual. A moral framework is offered defining norms, rules and behavior that provide the criteria for acceptance into collective life. There are women who have been killed by their families for getting pregnant before marriage simply because they feel it is a disgrace and against their perceived ghairat and izzat. The people responsible for violation of these women’s’ right go scot free while the women are punished with death in the name of honor killing. Power involvement in the case study All efforts have been done to make sure that a woman is dominated. Despite Nasreen being mistreated by her sisters-in-law and mother in-law, she is overpowered and there is no authority where she can go to seek help. The husbands have been accorded excessive power over the female to the extent that they can do anything with their bodies. They are sexually violated, kicked and slapped. The men vent out their frustration and fear over the female. Nasreen husband is doing nothing to change the situation in the family but he has the guts to blame her as the sole cause of their problems. What is he doing as a husband? Nasreen has to play the double role of taking care of family chores and fending for the family. What role does her husband play? In spite of this the sisters-in-law and mother-in-law are always ready to pick out quarrels with her and in the end beat her up. For the sake of the honor of the family, other members of the society are at liberty to do anything to a female in the name of administering discipline. The case put it clear that no legal actions were taken against her husband. Her husband had grossly violated her rights as a woman and as a wife but nothing was done in this case. The man is given more respect and power, and the woman treated like a lesser human being in the society in Pakistan. The woman is relegated to be powerless and defenseless in the face of diversity. No legal action is taken against the mother-in-law and sisters-in-law who beat her for any flimsy excuse they could hold against her. The community is empowered to treat a woman in the manner it feels like. Even the in-laws could not feel an iota of remorse because they are also women. They have been brought up to believe that that is the right way a woman needs to be treated. A woman has no power over herself and she is manipulated and controlled by society and men, in particular. It is unfortunate and amazing that Nasreen parents refuse to take her back after leaving her matrimonial home. This must have been given impetus social prestige and family honor, in this case, the parents see Nasreen as a disgrace to them and not as a victim of cultural and social injustice who needs urgent assistance. According to Bergen, Edleson & Renzetti, (2011) families which will normally kill for honor readily threaten women and girls if they go against covering their hair, their faces, or other body parts; wearing western clothing or make up, choose friends out side their religion, seek out advanced education, seek to divorce a husband who is violent, refuse a marriage that is arranged, or perhaps marry against the wishes of their parents. In Pakistan Punjab region there were 1261 honor killings in 2007. People in Pakistan use Islam to accomplish their person satisfaction. Honor killing is not embraced in the Muslim religion. It is the society and the people through individual families that have chosen to embrace such a barbaric culture. All institutions have been empowered to mete out injustice to a woman (Burney, 2009). Conclusion Risk and power has dominated the harassment of women in Pakistan. Practices that are entrenched in the cultural and social aspect have all been designed to discriminate against a woman and moreover reduce her to the point of being just a mere object that can be driven around without being consulted or caring about its feelings. Violence against women in Pakistan cut across all religions but it is more reported among the Muslim. The case of Nasreen that has been explored in this paper just shows an illustration of what women have to go through in Pakistan. There are more atrocities that women face for the simple reason that they are women. Reference Khan in The News, 2003, 16. Burney, S. (2009). Crime or custom?: Violence against Women in Pakistan. Islamabad: Human Rights Watch. Bergen, R.K., Edleson, J. L., & Renzetti, C.M. (2011). Companion Reader on Violence against Women. SAGE. Noor , M.J. (2004). Daughters of Eve: violence against women in Pakistan. Massachusetts: Massachusetts Institute of Technology, Dept. of Mechanical Engineering. Goonesekere, S. (2004). Violence, law and women's rights in South Asia. London: SAGE. Jones, J. (2011). Gender, Sexualities and Law. NY: Taylor & Francis. Read More