PAGE Blog Business Weekly Magazine
Disregard of women’s rights stay put; govt should reform women empowerment policies in the province
Under the 1973 constitution, all citizens of Pakistan are equal, with no distinction based on gender alone but unfortunately constitutional guarantees of equality have not been enforced in actual practice all across the country.
In Balochistan, enforcement of the law is the real challenge. It has been observed on ground that force of custom most often prevails over official laws, making it difficult especially for women to claim their legal rights. The province has a poor record when it comes to women’s rights while bringing about gender reforms remained an uphill task here.
Balochistan is mostly a tribal society where women are seen to be discriminated, exploited, oppressed, browbeaten, and chastised in the name of so-called social practices — rooted in medieval times. Convention of Jirga (the meeting of tribal chiefs and elders) for settlement of disputes is the continual practice in rural areas of Balochistan where people settle their family disputes through tribal justice system, instead of resorting to the court of law. Women are even discriminated under tribal justice system under which they are not consulted when important decisions affecting their lives are made. They are handed over as part of a compensation deal to settle a revenge killing or an ‘honor’ crime. It is ironical that the tribal chiefs and feudal lords, which frequently become the members of parliament, strongly support this cruel practice. They believe the practice of handing over of women to settle a dispute is highly desirable for peace-keeping objective arguing that it produces blood bonds, which make for lasting peace. This feudal mindset actually reflects high level of disregard for women’s rights.
It is harder to challenge the long-cherished traditions of the society while a change in the status quo will take a long time. It is the history, culture and traditions, which determine the status quo in a society and it is also a fact that the history and tradition cannot be abandoned immediately and completely. The Women Protection Bill, 2006 was strongly opposed by majority of members of the parliaments, particularly the Islamist parties which claimed the bill was against the Islamic law.
Absence of social safety net
The women have no social safety net in Balochistan, particularly in rural districts where women are bound by practices that affect their welfare. According to a UN literacy survey report, females in rural areas with lowest literacy rate were more inclined to embroidery. They, belonging to the lower class of society, live under poverty, and for them making money on embroidery skills is a real bonus in life. Females from all age are engaged in doing embroidery skills, however, majority of them belong to young age. The learning of embroidery is formal for majority of them, as they don’t undergo any specific training for that; nonetheless, it needs special skills to do it properly. The embroidery involves a lot of eyesight work as one has to concentrate all on stitching without losing a trace, otherwise it can spoil the work. The important thing in needlework is cleanness and sophistication of stitching. In rural areas, women spend longer time in needlework doing it in night under a lamp, are prone to eye-sight problems.
Anti-women practices
Under the anti-women customary practices like wanni, swara or budla-i-sulh, the women are traded like commodity and they are given in forced marriages against their will or settle any related dispute under these laws. These practices are widespread in rural areas of Balochistan, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Punjab and Sindh province where tribal and feudal system is still very strong. Women are not allowed to take share of property in inheritance.
In 2012, a tribal Jirga in Dera Bugti district of Balochistan declared 13 girls wanni, a tribal custom in which girls are forced to marry men of rival tribes to settle feuds between two conflicting clans. In 2008, five women were buried alive for reasons of ‘honor in Balochistan as a result of a decision given by a tribal Jirga. A Senator from Balochistan and a tribal chief defended the decision saying the Baloch tribesman had done nothing wrong as they only kept up with their centuries-old tradition.
Recommendations
The handicraft work is very common in the rural Balochistan, where women having learnt the handicraft skills are actively engaged and they even sewing to raise a livelihood for their families. Handicrafts can play an important role in women’s economic empowerment, especially in rural areas, where it is generally practiced at local family level. The tribal system also hinders the development and promotion of this sector, as women are not allowed to play their vital role in a free environment. Tribal restrictions confine the women to their houses restricting their free movement in the society and thus they remain unaware of the rapidly changing trends in designing and marketing of the products.
The government should create conditions leading to the economic empowerment of women in Balochistan. They should be provided opportunities to play their role at all levels and in all types of development activities. They must have the opportunity and be provided with an environment to develop their talents. Local women should get the possibility to enter all types and all levels of education and training. Education and training facilities should be provided to a large extent on the inputs women are already providing.
Women police stations and offices of women councilors need to be established at district and sub-district level across the country, particularly in rural areas. A strong local government system may help build the capacity of local councilors, including women councilors, improve the quality of women’s lives and lay the groundwork for greater autonomy for women in all spheres of social life.
A recent approval of women’s rights bill was a step taken by former coalition government in the right direction. Under the bill, forcing a woman into marriage to settle a dispute is a non-bailable offense, punishable with 3-5 years in prison with a fine of $5,735, while forcing her to marry the Holy Quran punishable with 3-7 years in prison with a fine of $5,735. The bill, however, lacks a mechanism to ensure that the anti-women crimes reach a court of law, as these crimes often go unreported.
