Thursday, May 22, 2008, Jamadi-ul-Awwal 15, 1429    

APWA leader seeks end to gender discrimination

Hyderabad— Violence against women is an every day reality and existence is either denied or condoned and has been used as a tool to control and dominate women and it is so pervasive and prevalent that many women are compelled to accept it as a fait accomplice. Chairperson, All Pakistan Women Association ( APWA), Begum Almas Zafar talking to APP said women constitute almost half of the population of Pakistan and the country’s constitution guarantees equal rights for them.
She said it was due to traditional society where women happen to be a weaker segment.
APWA chief said Pakistan faces a challenge to overcome gender discrimination within the public as well as the private domain. She emphasized the need for creating awareness among the women about the rights, which bestowed them not only in the International Charter, but also in the country’s constitution.
Majority of the cases of violence against the women are not being reported at the Police Stations because of lack of confidence or awareness, she said.
Almas Zafar said effective implementation of law could guarantee their rights.
APWA chief said that being the weaker section of the society, women particularly women of rural area have been deprived of their due rights and are on the target of a number of criminal attempts.
Begum Almas Zafar said that the challenge of gender discrimination has been on the agenda of various organizations over the years who have tried to empower women and to reduce their dependency on the male of the family and provide for themselves.
She said that the educated and professional women in urban areas and from upper classes of the society enjoy much better status and rights than illiterate women in rural areas.
APWA Chairperson said that Pakistani women play a major role in agricultural production, livestock raising and cottage industries, however, around 90 percent of the Pakistani households are headed by men and most female-headed households belong to the poor strata of the society.
She said that the women are being crushed due to male domination and in rural areas their sufferings are at higher level. She said that the violence against women in Pakistan is a major problem.
She said that the rape is one of the most common crimes against women but grossly underreported due to the shame attached to the victim.— APP