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Islamabad
Providing a comprehensive overview of the situation of women’s rights in Pakistan, the Aurat Foundation launched ‘Pakistan NGO Alternative Report on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)-2012.’
The report, authored by Maliha Zia and Riffat Butt and reviewed by Neelam Hussain, Naeem Mirza, Nasreen Azhar and Younas Khalid, is primarily a commentary on the Fourth Periodic Report of the government, identifying gaps and presenting an objective analysis of the situation of women in Pakistan. The report is endorsed by 24 non-governmental organisations working for women rights in Pakistan.
It covers the period from January 2005 to April 2009. It records various endeavours of the government to promote gender equality, eliminate discrimination and curb violence against women including attempts made to legislate on women’s issues. CEDAW requires the state party to submit a periodic report on the various measures adopted to give effect to its provisions after every four years.
Maliha Zia presented the findings of report. The report says that various attempts made by the government to improve the legal, socio-economic and political status of women are commendable, but they are few in number and have proven not to be very effective. It says that the agenda for eliminating all forms of discrimination against women failed once again to make its place in the priority list of the government. As a result, there remain numerous issues for women, resulting in de facto and de jure discrimination against them, which are either ignored by the government, or are not sufficiently dealt with.
The document points out the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), which is mandated to review the laws adversely affecting women, functioned as an advisory and examining body only, but there was no regulation that ensured that NCSW’s recommendations were tabled in any official forum.
The report says that adequate budgets and resources were not allocated to women’s issues. This reluctance to allocate necessary budgets and resources for addressing women’s issues reinforces the absence of political will to work towards mainstreaming gender concerns and prioritising women’s issues.
It mentions that two contradictory trends were visible in the country during the reported time. While, on the one hand, there were more women in parliament and in the urban workforce, on the other hand, discrimination against women and girls also increased in parts of Pakistan because of the rise in extremism and militancy. Despite all claims by the government, women have been denied their right to access to resources, to decision-making, and to their rights as equal citizens in society.
Despite rulings of the apex courts, punishments imposed by local tribal/feudal groups of male elders, known as jirgas and panchayats, are being carried out in various parts of the country with utmost impunity, violating the State laws and fundamental rights of the citizens. Trafficking of women continues with Pakistan being a country of origin, transit and destination. A number of pro-women laws were passed from the year 2009 to 2012, however, the state continued to avoid the passage of laws or amendments that are considered more controversial due to the fact that they might affect the traditional set up of the family and society and above all their political alliances. These include laws pertaining to domestic violence, social protection and child rights and amendments pertaining, among other topics, to citizenship rights of women and their spouses.
The government claims that women’s presence in positions of decision-making has improved substantially, but this is not the case in the judiciary and the gender bias is very obvious. Currently there is no female judge in the Supreme Court and there is only one active female judge in the Sindh High Court (SHC). The enhanced participation of women in Parliament was appreciated in the report, but it says that the level of empowerment of female public representatives within their own political parties, and the space for them to participate in national affairs at the same level with their male colleagues remains uncertain.
Regarding women’s participation at the level of voters, the Election Commission of Pakistan has failed to maintain and make public gender-disaggregated data to measure the actual turnout of women voters, which continues to be low. According to an estimate, around 10 million less women are registered than men as voters. Also, the practice of stopping women from exercising their right to vote through mutual agreements between political parties still continues, as the government is hesitant to take action for fear of alienating conservative elements in society.
Women are discriminated against in terms of citizenship. As per the Citizenship Act 1951, foreign husbands of Pakistani wives do not get automatic citizenship, as is the case with foreign wives of Pakistani men. This is clear discrimination against women in Pakistan and in contravention of Article 2 of CEDAW and Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which cannot be justified for any reason whatsoever.
The female literacy rate remained extremely low, 45% as compared to 69% for men in 2009. Approximately 70 per cent of the female labour force is engaged in agriculture and allied fields, such as tending and feeding farm animals, but this work is un-recognized and remains unpaid. Working conditions of home-based workers are not regulated by any law or regulation.
Providing a comprehensive overview of the situation of women’s rights in Pakistan, the Aurat Foundation launched ‘Pakistan NGO Alternative Report on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (CEDAW)-2012.’
The report, authored by Maliha Zia and Riffat Butt and reviewed by Neelam Hussain, Naeem Mirza, Nasreen Azhar and Younas Khalid, is primarily a commentary on the Fourth Periodic Report of the government, identifying gaps and presenting an objective analysis of the situation of women in Pakistan. The report is endorsed by 24 non-governmental organisations working for women rights in Pakistan.
It covers the period from January 2005 to April 2009. It records various endeavours of the government to promote gender equality, eliminate discrimination and curb violence against women including attempts made to legislate on women’s issues. CEDAW requires the state party to submit a periodic report on the various measures adopted to give effect to its provisions after every four years.
Maliha Zia presented the findings of report. The report says that various attempts made by the government to improve the legal, socio-economic and political status of women are commendable, but they are few in number and have proven not to be very effective. It says that the agenda for eliminating all forms of discrimination against women failed once again to make its place in the priority list of the government. As a result, there remain numerous issues for women, resulting in de facto and de jure discrimination against them, which are either ignored by the government, or are not sufficiently dealt with.
The document points out the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), which is mandated to review the laws adversely affecting women, functioned as an advisory and examining body only, but there was no regulation that ensured that NCSW’s recommendations were tabled in any official forum.
The report says that adequate budgets and resources were not allocated to women’s issues. This reluctance to allocate necessary budgets and resources for addressing women’s issues reinforces the absence of political will to work towards mainstreaming gender concerns and prioritising women’s issues.
It mentions that two contradictory trends were visible in the country during the reported time. While, on the one hand, there were more women in parliament and in the urban workforce, on the other hand, discrimination against women and girls also increased in parts of Pakistan because of the rise in extremism and militancy. Despite all claims by the government, women have been denied their right to access to resources, to decision-making, and to their rights as equal citizens in society.
Despite rulings of the apex courts, punishments imposed by local tribal/feudal groups of male elders, known as jirgas and panchayats, are being carried out in various parts of the country with utmost impunity, violating the State laws and fundamental rights of the citizens. Trafficking of women continues with Pakistan being a country of origin, transit and destination. A number of pro-women laws were passed from the year 2009 to 2012, however, the state continued to avoid the passage of laws or amendments that are considered more controversial due to the fact that they might affect the traditional set up of the family and society and above all their political alliances. These include laws pertaining to domestic violence, social protection and child rights and amendments pertaining, among other topics, to citizenship rights of women and their spouses.
The government claims that women’s presence in positions of decision-making has improved substantially, but this is not the case in the judiciary and the gender bias is very obvious. Currently there is no female judge in the Supreme Court and there is only one active female judge in the Sindh High Court (SHC). The enhanced participation of women in Parliament was appreciated in the report, but it says that the level of empowerment of female public representatives within their own political parties, and the space for them to participate in national affairs at the same level with their male colleagues remains uncertain.
Regarding women’s participation at the level of voters, the Election Commission of Pakistan has failed to maintain and make public gender-disaggregated data to measure the actual turnout of women voters, which continues to be low. According to an estimate, around 10 million less women are registered than men as voters. Also, the practice of stopping women from exercising their right to vote through mutual agreements between political parties still continues, as the government is hesitant to take action for fear of alienating conservative elements in society.
Women are discriminated against in terms of citizenship. As per the Citizenship Act 1951, foreign husbands of Pakistani wives do not get automatic citizenship, as is the case with foreign wives of Pakistani men. This is clear discrimination against women in Pakistan and in contravention of Article 2 of CEDAW and Article 25 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which cannot be justified for any reason whatsoever.
The female literacy rate remained extremely low, 45% as compared to 69% for men in 2009. Approximately 70 per cent of the female labour force is engaged in agriculture and allied fields, such as tending and feeding farm animals, but this work is un-recognized and remains unpaid. Working conditions of home-based workers are not regulated by any law or regulation.
Posted in: Islamabad
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