The mere fact that we do not get to read about the women of Balochistan does not mean that they do not exist. There are only two occasions in a year when the media reports about the women of Balochistan. One, every year on March 8th when the world celebrates the International Women’s Day. The government and non-governmental organizations arrange different fancy events to make promises to improve the condition of women’s status in the society.
The second time when one hears about the women of Balochistan is when the respected non-governmental organization committed to women’s rights and welfare, the Aurat Foundation(AF), issues its annual report. Although every year AF comes up with shocking details about the plight of women, their commitment to women’s rights and determination to report these violations is highly admirable.
This year’s report by the Aurat Foundation carries disturbing details about the state of women’s welfare in Balochistan. The organization has reported a 24% increase in violence against women. As many as 187 cases of violence against women were reported in 2014 as compared to 151 cases in 2013. Of course, these figures are much lower than the actual number of violent cases that actually take place in the province. Local traditions, illiteracy and women’s lack of access to police stations and the media are some of the major reasons why women do not speak up in Balochistan and violent cases against them do not get reported. Whatever limited data is accessible by the virtue of organizations like the Aurat Foundation, it still conveys a depressing message about the the current government’s failure to protect women and improve their living conditions.
The AF report added that 75% of the women who were killed past year were actually victims of the heinous practice of “honor killing“. Another 21 women committed suicide. These revealing statistics show that there is a whole world of unknowns entailing the miseries of women across Balochistan and we need to know more about it so that we fix the problem. We need to initiate a debate as to what actually is happening to our women and how they can be rescued from the scourge of domestic violence, honor killing and economic pressures that compel them to commit suicide.
Last week, Dawn highlighted another perturbing aspect of the same issue. The paper reported that female drop out rate from schools has come down to 70% across the province. The situation in the gas-rich province of Dera Bugti is, ironically, far worse where, according to the official figures, only two percent of the girls are enrolled in schools. The situation has drastically worsened in the past couple of months in parts of Balochistan where female literacy rate was enviously high because of the private schools that imparted co-education in the Mekran region. In the wake of the surge of a new wave of religious extremism in Mekran, around a hundred private schools have been forced to shut down in causing the disruption of education for thousands of girls. In Gwadar, even the principal of a top private school was shot dead last month because of the threats from extremists opposed to girls’ education. These extremists have gone no where. They are still there and determined to target anyone who insists on sending girls to schools. The government is doing nothing about it.
Life is getting worse for Balochistan’s women in the health sector too. In November last year, for instance, armed gun men killed three women who were carrying out a polio vaccination campaign in Quetta. The terrorist attack understandably shocked and scared the educated women of the province. Health and education are two sectors where the women of Balochistan need most attention and these two departments, at the same time, are generally considered as safe places for them to seek employment. Now armed men have pointed their guns toward the health and education sectors. In fact, Balochistan’s women are surrounded by guns from all directions. They have been left at the mercy of men in power who do not care at all.
The current government does not seem to be bothered about these unpleasant developments. The Chief Minister, Dr. Malik Baloch, should revisit his priorities and pay special attention to the women’s rights and welfare. The fact that there is almost no women’s representation in his large cabinet suggests that he does not passionately believe in the empowering women. One can’t believe in democracy but not in women’s rights at the same time. The Chief Minister and his government should show more seriousness and commitment. While preparing itself for next year’s report on the state of women, the Balochistan government should aim to make progress instead of walk backward. The current trends show that violence against women has increased, so have attacks on lady health workers. Female drop out rate has climbed abysmally by 70%. Considering all these bleak indicators, are we not heading toward disaster?
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