Tuesday, January 17, 2023
Pakistan dispatch: femicide against members of religious minorities must be addressed
In Pakistan, there are multiple instances of gender-based violence every day. For women who have been victims of abuse, there appears to be a lack of justice. Domestic abuse, rape, and torture make up the majority of gender-based crimes. Just before the New Year, on December 28th, Daya Bheel, a member of the Bheel (sometimes “Bhil”) community who practised Hinduism, was gang-raped and killed in Sindh province. The perpetrators mutilated her body and dumped it in a wheat field. Due to the fact that Daya Bheel was a member of a marginalised group from a rural region of Pakistan, there hasn’t been any public uproar over her death.
Femicide refers to incidents when there has been a fatality or a murder. Numerous instances of femicide and gender-based violence have occurred in Pakistan and are still occurring, highlighting the appalling condition of women’s rights. Despite legislative progress to address this significant problem, the current situation is nevertheless dreadful and disturbing. Legislation alone, however, does not provide a remedy for the issue. The patriarchal ethos that has historically dominated Pakistani society as a whole has been used to justify different forms of violence against women. Pakistani men usually impose restrictions on women’s freedom and regard them as insignificant objects with little to no agency, controlling their choices at work and in their households.
It appears that women who belong to religious minorities, such as Daya Bheel, are suffering the most. Minority groups in Pakistan have been protesting against conversion or forced marriage as well as the femicide of local females. Religious minority populations suffer greatly from victimisation based on religion or belief, but minority women are especially susceptible to the ongoing femicide. The organization of political and religious fanaticism has recently occurred both within and outside of educational facilities. This political philosophy is presented as religious doctrine in an effort to enlist and inspire young males to commit acts of violence.
A notorious case from several years ago involved Sonia Bibi, who belonged to Pakistan’s Christian community. She was murdered in Punjab province by a Muslim man who she refused to marry. The murder of Sonia serves as a stark reminder of the peril that young girls and women, particularly those from Christian and other minority origins, suffer when pressured to marry and renounce their faith.
The socioeconomic fragility of the Hindu minority, such as poverty and social estrangement, is one of the reasons that contributes to their particular susceptibility to forced conversions. Furthermore, gender inequality and patriarchy negatively affect women from minority groups more than other groups, making it difficult for them to access education. Extremist Muslim groups exert influence over local power structures to maintain and institutionalize discriminatory practices against non-Muslim communities.
Pakistan’s federal and provincial governments have not demonstrated the necessary commitment to address this serious constitutional breach despite the rise of forced conversions. Despite possessing a legislative majority in the national assembly, the administration chose not to introduce this measure in parliament. Moreover, the police frequently ignore complaints of kidnappings, murders, and forced conversions, allowing offenders to go free. The majority-Muslim police forces are largely sympathetic to the objective of converting religious minorities. The families affected are frequently denied the opportunity to pursue their cases and complaints further because the police either refuse to file a First Information Report (FIR) or distort the information. An FIR is a crucial initial step in the Criminal Procedure Code, thus its absence or distortion prevents the family from seeking justice in the legal system.
Law students and law graduates in Pakistan are reporting for JURIST on events in that country impacting its legal system. University of London law graduate Mariyam Taher Qayyum files this dispatch from Islamabad.
UN to Pakistan: Curb Forced Conversions, Marriages of Religious Minority Girls
In a statement issued by the Office of the U.N. High Commissioner for Human Rights, the experts urged the Pakistani government to "objectively" investigate these acts in line with domestic legislation and international human rights commitments to hold perpetrators accountable.
The group of around 12 independent U.N rights experts includes the special rapporteurs on the sale and sexual exploitation of children, on violence against women and on minority issues, and on contemporary forms of slavery.
"We are deeply troubled to hear that girls as young as 13 are being kidnapped from their families, trafficked to locations far from their homes, made to marry men sometimes twice their age, and coerced to convert to Islam, all in violation of international human rights law," the statement said.
These acts are allegedly being committed under threat of violence to girls and women or their families. The experts said the so-called marriages and conversions take place with the involvement of Pakistani religious authorities and the complicity of security forces as well as the justice system.
"Pakistani authorities must adopt and enforce legislation prohibiting forced conversions, forced and child marriages, kidnapping, and trafficking … and uphold the rights of women and children."
There was no immediate reaction from the Pakistani government to the U.N. statement.
Local and foreign human rights groups say forced conversion and marriage of young women from minority religions, including Hindus and Christians, is a growing problem in Pakistan.
Campaigners say perpetrators escape legal action because forced conversions are often portrayed as a religious issue in courts, with their lawyers arguing the girls have voluntarily converted to Islam.
Hundreds of such cases are reported in Pakistan every year. Victims are mainly from poor families and low castes.
Forced conversions of kidnapped Hindu girls and subsequent marriages to Muslim men — in most cases to abductors — are routine in southern Sindh province, hosting about 90 percent of the minority community.
Hindus make up 2 percent and Christians less than 1.5 percent of Pakistan's estimated population of 220 million.
Successive Pakistani governments have failed to outlaw forced conversions to protect religious minorities against such practices, mainly due to pressure from Islamic groups.
In October 2021, a parliamentary committee scrapped a proposed bill that would have criminalized forced conversions by proposing up to 10 years of imprisonment.
"Noting Pakistan's previous attempts to pass legislation that will prohibit forced conversions and protect religious minorities, the experts deplored the ongoing lack of access to justice for victims and their families," the U.N. statement said Monday.
https://www.voanews.com/a/un-to-pakistan-curb-forced-conversions-marriages-of-religious-minority-girls/6920855.html