A shadow pandemic

The Covid Pandemic has tested the world in many ways. Unfortunately, enforced lockdowns have led to an increase in domestic violence, with women at the receiving end. Women worldwide are at the risk of being harassed, killed, and subjected to violence if they speak out against injustice. This sad situation is a result of economic, social, racial, political, and cultural discrimination against females.

The truth of the matter is that women will not be able to gain their dignity until their fundamental and human rights are protected. Since they represent more than half of the world’s population, there is a need to provide them with the necessary legal recourse as well as support.

Violence against women remains a worldwide issue, but Pakistan has experienced a spike in the oppression of women which is reflected in the Global Gap Index 2018 for women. The Global Gap Index 2018 ranks Pakistan as the sixth most dangerous country for women. The report also ranks Pakistan in the second position as the worst in the world in terms of gender equality. According to the 2019 report of the National Institute of Population Studies, 24.5% of Pakistani women and girls aged between 15-49 experience physical intimate partner violence once at least once in their lifetime.

Regarding this issue, the initiative of the United Nations (UN) General Assembly where they officially adopted the Convention of the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW) in 1979 should be appreciated. In this regard, 25^th November was declared the official International Day for the Elimination of Violence against Women on February 7^th, 2000 by the General Assembly, which was passed through resolution 54/134. A mutual ‘Spotlight Initiative’ was also launched in 2017 by the UN and European Union (EU) for raising awareness.

The Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) Pakistan has taken a positive step by launching a helpline 1099 nationwide for reporting domestic violence cases. Domestic violence cases are not generally reported in large numbers due to the pressure of society, belief in private household affairs, and avoidance of legal procedures.

As seen in the Qandeel Baloch case, the Parliament passed a law by closing the pardon loopholes where the families used to protect perpetrators. The Supreme Court of Pakistan has also issued orders not to allow to pardon of the acid attack offenders, as the crime is an ‘extreme cruelty’.

The UN Women Report 2020 stated that during COVID-19, 90 countries were in lockdown and saw the growth of a ‘shadow pandemic’ of violence against women. Further, the report also revealed that 243 million women and girls across the world aged 15-49 years have been subjected to physical violence by their partners.

In Pakistan, videos relating to various cases of harassment against women have been circulating on social media. In one such video, a man harassed a woman by forcefully climbing into a rickshaw while she was inside; in another incident, a woman was forcefully pushed from the motorbike on Independence Day, and manhandled. Various cases of acid attacks, domestic violence in form of extreme beating, burning, and being beating to death have also surfaced. A recent case of a doctor, who was murdered by her estranged husband at Lahore, and Noor Mukaddam’s case has sent shivers down the spines of women.

There is an urgent need to deal with the increased rate of violence against women with measures embedded with economic support and legal packages to meet the scale of the challenge. In Pakistan, women face many hurdles in the fight for their rights. A woman is trapped within the cultural and societal restrictions, where domestic issues are not taken seriously.

Women’s organizations, NGOs, communities, and other organizations are seen responding to these issues, and they need to be supported in this regard. The police and judiciary should give priority to these incidents and punish the perpetrators. All types of physical violence need to be taken seriously, and the assailants should be jailed. In this connection, Lemony Snicket stated that, ‘Criminals should be punished, not fed pastries’.

COVID-19 has already tested us in many ways. The raised violence has emerged as a dark feature that is a mirror of our society and pose a challenge to our values.

There is a need to raise awareness for this vital issue so that violence resulting from gender inequality can be eradicated once and for all. The voice of survivors should not be suppressed, and they should be encouraged to break the conspiracy of silence. Everyone has a right to live happily and peacefully in a healthy environment.

UN Women has termed gender-based violence a severe violation of human rights. The UN Women’s slogan ‘together, let’s put an end to violence against women’ should be our motto.

The writer is an award-winning columnist and Adjunct Asst. Prof. at Riphah International University, Pakistan.