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An Epidemic of Femicide in Pakistan

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An Epidemic of Femicide in Pakistan

The recent wave of Femicide brought concerns to human rights defenders who questioned the state that what has it done to counter the menace. But the situation is quite opposite at the state level.

Mustajab Zahra Khoso

Her husband and in-laws brutally tortured her, abused her, and took her life in her own house. She was helpless and defenseless and no one was there to rescue her. A young lady, in Kandhkot Sindh, was heartlessly murdered by her spouse. The austere incident shunned the country and raised a torrent of questions: Why a life of a woman is so cheap in this country? Why cannot the state and responsible authorities protect their lives? What are its criminal factors? And what would be the future of women in this country?

Maimoona Soomro is not the first victim of hegemonic patriarchy. Thousands of Maimoonas have become prey to the epidemic and lost their lives and are still waiting for justice.

The country also witnessed a heinous episode of Noor Muqaddam’s beheading and after her ruthless killing a wave of victim-blaming took shape even from responsible offices.

Similarly, on July 15 Qurat ul Ain Baloch, a mother of four, was tortured and murdered allegedly by her husband in front of minor kids. The murderer was not an ordinary person but a highly qualified foreign graduate who was responsible for her brutal killing and domestic abuse against her.

According to The United Nations Population Fund (Formerly the United Nations Fund for Population Activities – UNFPA) a staggering 32 percent of women have experienced physical violence in Pakistan and 40 percent of ever-married women have suffered spousal abuse. It is also estimated that only 21 percent of domestic violence cases are reported in Pakistan. Many cases remain uncovered due to family honor issues.

Pakistan stands 153rd out of 156 nations in the Gender Gap 2021 report by World Economic Forum. The gender gap includes education, social and economic gaps. Likewise, in the Thomas Reuters Foundation poll 2018 Pakistan was ranked as the sixth most dangerous country for women.

The term dangerous portrays dangerous surroundings and behaviors of men for women. On a similar note, Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) recorded 80 percent of honor killings are female honor killings. It reflects how society relates the term honor with gender female altogether.

The recent wave of Femicide brought concerns to human rights defenders who questioned the state that what has it done to counter the menace. But the situation is quite opposite at the state level. The country witnessed an image of rape apologist rulers and authorities who rather than accepting institutional shortcomings, preferred to blame victims and created a flexible scenario for perpetrators. This is something alarming. One can pay attention to the reasons and factors to know the way forward for better and secure surroundings for all.

Many criminal factors are responsible for a heinous wave of Femicide in Pakistan. To protect the lives and rights of citizens it is necessary to have a progressive structure of society. The weak social structure causes social deficiencies for the masses. In a society like ours, the social structure is a man domineering structure. Where gender female is considered as a secondary gender, it creates a gender gap and results in various crimes in society.

The role of religious clerics, religious discourse, and interpretation of religion make a huge difference for the security of individuals in societies. The misinterpretation of religion accelerates the pace of violence. It also influences patriarchal patterns with biased tactics. Patriarchal patterns along with hegemonic masculinity are rampant in our society. Men consider women not more than a commodity hence observing unending cases of violence and agony.

The patriarchal setups in the society are not a fruit of modern orchard but they are products of an ancient seed. They have been growing for so long. The sense of superiority of gender male makes the case of women security vulnerable taking us towards insecure surroundings, inside as well as outside the house for women. As it is depicted earlier, many cases of violence against women are taken place by their close people. However, it doesn’t cover the whole ratio but a major chunk of it. Furthermore, the populist agendas of politicians intensify the threat and menace of Femicide.

Though the threat is rampant, there is a ray of hope in terms of recent campaigns against gender-based violence and femicide on social media. Civil society and youth have collectively taken the issue. People are getting aware of social flaws in their society. Many people are speaking and taking part in Twitter hashtags and following the Femicide cases.

We cannot name it gender revolution but can consider it as a progressive start where one can openly discuss the challenges, issues, and implications of gender-based crimes in society and can also eradicate the ill from its root.

[author title=”Mustajab Zahra Khoso” image=”https://sindhcourier.com/wp-content/uploads/2021/08/Mustajab-Zahra-Sindh-Courier-scaled.jpg”]Mustajab Zahra Khoso is a freelance writer and interested in gender, international politics and digital marketing topics. Twitter: @MustajabZahra, Email: zahramustajab110@gmail.com[/author]