By: Alizba Khimani - Legislative Intern SSDO

Women? Who are they? The answer to this question is subjective because to some she is an object to use it according to their will and to some she is just a living creature made to be harassed and raped. Whenever we talk about women, we hear the word “violence” as if this word is meant to be attached to the life of every woman and why is that so? Because women are the victims of violence for so many years and even after years of revolution, she still doesn't have her due place in society. Everyday a new case of violence against women airs on news channels and even then, justice is not served.

A woman suffers in her own house and isn't safe just because her husband had a bad day at work, a woman is paid less than men on same position just because she is a woman, A woman is raped and harassed just because she stepped out of her house and chose to live her dreams and a woman is murdered just because she rejected a man’s proposal. Zainab, Asma, Mukhtaran Bibi, Kainat Soomro, Ayesha, Noor Mukaddam all were the daughters of this nation but were brutally raped or murdered just because a man had no control over his anger, ego or desire. There is total 22,000 rape cases in last six years in Pakistan. WHO indicate that globally about 1 in 3 (30%) of women worldwide have been subjected to either physical and/or sexual intimate partner violence or non-partner sexual violence in their lifetime. Every case reflects a different aspect of violence against women. In 2018, 7-year-old Zainab was raped to death in Kasur. Zainab disappeared on 4 January and her body was found five days later in a rubbish dump. Last year the most horrible case was the Lahore motorway case where a woman was raped in front of her children as he ran out of fuel. a 3-year-old girl Asma was missing for 24 hours in Mardan and then her dead body was found. She was raped before her murder. Mukhtaran Bibi was gang raped in 2002 as honour rape because her brother Was alleged to have sexual relations with someone from a higher caste. There are thousands of victims but only a few cases are registered just because a woman is meant to stay quiet and be the peace ambassador. Even after being a victim she is questioned for her truthfulness in order to justify NOT ALL MEN. All men are responsible for the place a woman has in this society. Men deal with women according to their moods and believe that beating a woman will make them feel relieved. Rape cases have always been on rise in this society but with covid 19 the rate of domestic violence has also increased because the aggression of losing a job, anger on workers and restrictions on life is all calmed by beating women and children without understanding the fact that women are more likely to lose their jobs first because she is a woman and is valued less in workplaces in comparison to man and a woman lives with restriction throughout her life because men are the ones to takes decisions for her but even than she was the not the one to kill, harass or rape any other person.

Man believes that ruling over women will prove his masculinity and superiority. It is sad to know that the idea of masculinity is attached to rape, domestic violence, harassment and gender pay gap rather than associating it with protection of women, respecting her decisions and helping her moving ahead in her life.

In conclusion, even after discussing numerous cases this sick society always questions what the girl was wearing or why she did not listen to the man. Sexual assault, harassment and domestic violence occurs only when men decide to do it. Commenting on the victim’s clothes and blaming her would not help men to be proven innocent. Our societal mindsets are the driving force behind the violence against women. We need to understand that her clothes, her dreams, her will are not the reason but Our mentality is and even if this society was to blame on her clothing and believes that Women expose themselves then, why was a 3-year-old girl raped?

Was she mature enough to understand all this?

This is the time to think and to regenerate the value of women in our society and minds.