Quaid-e-Azam said in a speech
in 1944, “No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side
by side with you; we are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity
that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners.”
The lives of Pakistani women have changed during the past 30 years and they are
more empowered and emancipated then they were ever before. More and more women
are entering the workforce today as their predecessors, who made the first time
at the work place and also made life easier for other women, lent them the
encouragement to do so. But still women are facing many problems and
discrimination and also harassment in work force.
Women empowerment refers to the ability of women to transform economic and
social development when empowered to fully participate in the decisions that
affect their lives through leadership, training, coaching consulting and the
provision of enabling tools for women to lead within their communities,
religions and countries.
Women empowerment generally has three components. firstly, women's sense of self
worth. secondly, their rights to have a power of control their own lives ,both
within and outside home. lastly, their ability to influence the direction of
social change to create a just social and economic order nationally,
internationally and universally.
Empowerment has multiple, interrelated and interdependent dimensions: economic,
social, personal and political dimensions. Economic empowerment means to empower
women economically by giving her rights of properties. lands, financial
responsibilities, adequate shares in jobs, business opportunities etc. In social
dimensions, it means women's social status should be equal to that of man by
avoiding all discriminations based on injustice and inequality. accordingly the
women are required to have respectable status in society, importunity to raise
voice, struggle etc. Politically, women should be empowered by reserving their
seats in national as well as provincial assemblies and providing their
independent right of one woman one vote. Personally, they should be given equal
liberty and freedom in their personal affairs, such as ,in case of marriage,
vocational pursuit etc .As a whole, women empowerment aims at providing women
with their social, economic, political and personal rights.
Legal aspect
Let's take a look at various laws or bill passed regarding women in Pakistan.
The Protection against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act (2010)
The objective of this Act is to create a safe working environment for women,
which is free of harassment, abuse and intimidation with a view to fulfilling
their right to work with dignity. Harassment is one of the biggest hurdles faced
by the working women preventing others who want to work to bring themselves and
their families out of poverty. This Act will pave the way for women to
participate more fully in the development of the country. This Act builds on the
principles of equal opportunity to women and their right to earn a livelihood
without any fear of discrimination as stipulated in the Constitution. This Act
complies with the government's commitment to high international labour standards
and empowerment of women. It also adheres to the Human Rights Declaration, the
United Nations Convention for Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against
Women and ILO's Convention 100 and 111 on workers' rights. It adheres to the
principles of Islam and all other religions which assure women's dignity.
This Act requires all public and private organizations to adopt an internal code
of conduct and a complain/appeals mechanism aimed at establishing a safe working
environment for all working women.
Prevention of Domestic Violence Act (2008)
The Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill was passed unanimously by
the National Assembly on August 4, 2009, but the bill lapsed after the Senate
failed to pass it within the three months period required under the
Constitution.
Legislators from both opposition and government parties told Human Rights Watch
(HRW) that even though President Zardari and Prime Minister Gilani supported the
bill, it was delayed by unofficial opposition from some ministers.
The Domestic Violence bill seeks to prevent violence against women and children
with a network of protection committees and protection officers and prompt
trials of suspected abusers.
The measure makes sexual harassment or intimidation punishable by three years in
prison, a 500,000 rupee fine, or both. The bill includes protection in public
places such as markets, public transport, streets or parks, and more private
places, such as workplaces, private gatherings, and homes.
Hudood Ordinance (1979)
The Hudood Ordinance was enacted in 1979 as part of General Muhammad Ziaul Haq's
Islamisation and replaced or revised in 2006 by the Women's Protection Bill. The
Hudood Law was intended to implement Sharia law, by enforcing punishments
mentioned in the Holy Quran and Sunnah for zina, qazf, offence against property,
and drinking. As for zina, a woman alleging rape is required to provide four
adult male eyewitnesses. The ordinance has been criticised as leading to
hundreds of incidents where a woman subjected to rape, or even gang rape, was
eventually accused of zina and imprisoned becoming a victim of extremely unjust
propaganda.
In 2006, then President Pervez Musharraf again proposed reforms in the
ordinance. On November 15, 2006, the Women's Protection Bill was passed by the
NA, allowing rape to be prosecutable under civil law. The bill was ratified by
the Senate on November 23, 2006, and became law after President Musharraf signed
it on December 1, 2006.
Religious aspect
In Islam the importance of women and their success as human beings, is measured
with completely different criteria: their fear of Allah and obedience to Him,
and fulfillment of the duties He has entrusted them with, particularly that of
bearing, rearing and teaching children.
Nevertheless, Islam is a practical religion, and responds to human needs and
life situations. Many women need, or wish, to work for various reasons. For
example, they may possess a needed skill, such as a teacher or a doctor. While
Islam does not prohibit women working outside her home, it does stipulate that
the following restrictions be followed to protect the dignity and honour of
women and the purity and stability of the Islamic society, the conduct of women,
after all, is the backbone of any society:
Political aspect
The political representation of women in Pakistan is higher than India, Sri
Lanka and Iran. Pakistan is listed as 45th in the Inter-Parliamentary Union's (IPU)
list of women in national parliaments and stood ahead of several developed
democracies, including Canada, the UK and the US. The only positive development
thus far has remained the relatively large representation of women in the
National Assembly, the Senate and provincial assemblies in comparison to other
countries. Of the 342 seats in the NA, women now comprise 22.2 per cent of those
seats. In the Senate, women make up 17 per cent of the parliamentary seats. This
indeed is significant departure from the past considering that women are often
discouraged from entering politics. Pakistan is also one of the 30 countries
which have a woman as Speaker of the National Assembly.
The political growth of a country requires both male and female participation in
the government affairs. Women representation in the government ensures that work
is done for the overall good of the woman folk. However, the woman participation
in the state structure calls for responsibility on the part of women and
requires them with intellect taking up the posts instead of women who have been
selected by their male counterparts.