Pakistan - Heinous crimes against women

There are reports from Faisalabad that a woman was apparently gang raped earlier in the week on panchayat orders for choosing to marry of her free will.

The woman has also complained that area police are unwilling to register her complaint and start investigations in the matter. The Inspector General of the Punjab Police and the Faisalabad DPO need to take immediate action.

Panchayats and jirgas continue their criminal acts, targeting women and making a mockery of rule of law. In Pakistan, the institution of marriage has been mired in endless problems, including forced and under-age marriages and domestic violence. In the last few years, the governments in centre and provinces have tried to introduce new laws. The law through which legal age for girls’ marriage was to be increased from 16 to 18 years has been met with criticism in the Senate standing committee and from the controversial Council of Islamic Ideology. Similarly, a law against domestic violence passed in the Punjab last year drew backlash from the clerics. The end result has been that the law remains in force, but it hasn’t been implemented in accordance with the spirit that accompanied it initially.

The continued presence of panchayats in the social fabric signifies the deep-seated nature of abhorrence for women’s liberty. It is also a reminder of how rule of law and justice remain non-existent for countless Pakistani women. For these women, life altering decisions have been left in the hands of men who believe they have a right to decide a woman’s fate. Free-will, a fundamental human right, is controlled at any cost possible.

The government must ensure that those who perpetuate such crimes are brought to justice. This incident is a clear result of a lack of strong pro-women laws, which are often prevented from being approved and implemented due to the lack of coherent policy objectives.

Moreover, this incident is also a reminder of the fact that our criminal justice system remains inaccessible for the marginalised segments.

We hope that Faisalabad incident serves as an eye opener for the authorities. They must muster up courage needed to crack down on this patriarchal custom that denies Pakistani women their constitutionally guaranteed rights and routinely puts their lives and health in jeopardy.