The irony of our society is tragic. The existence of women is a threat, yet rendering her life hell weaves the dilemma utterly.
The structural underrepresentation of women in spaces heightens failures to humanity. The society configures realities that exclude women from policymaking. The 0.5% conviction rate in cases of sexual abuse reflects the horrors. Inculcating social stigma, flawed investigations and delays in court cases produces the lack of accountability and high rate of acquittals of vultures. It is imperative to highlight how the enforced imbalance of women’s involvement in the structure plays a part. The nation can not walk the path which drives women to the shadowed corners. Those in highlights are ridiculed. Peace can not see the dawn where women can not actively participate to design, enforce and map out institutional strategies.
The pattern of the system to overlook lived realities is daunting. The male-domination in judiciary, administration and policymaking mechanisms is devastatingly apparent. This recreates the overarching culture that perpetuates gender based inequalities. The environment is reconstructed as the global World Economic Forum’s (WEF) Global Gender Gap Report 2026 places Pakistan third-to-last in political empowerment index. Despite the Constitutional progressions in 1956, 1962 and 1973;the participation landscape heavily revolves around men. The numerical uplifts are insufficient to substantive and true contributions. Inclusive to this, UN highlights cultural biases, inadequate accessibility to resources and restricted physical mobility to be a barrier. The intersectionality to this must never be overlooked. The concept of nation integration-to render all fragments and groups of society to be as one-necessitates significant actions for true mobility and accessibility for all. Women will outlive the discouraging structures.
The circumstances direct to how women’s structural absence in policymaking, has led to prevalence in sexual abuse and it’s low conviction rates. For a woman unheard, prevails a society that shatters them forevermore. The pleas echo, and the patriarchy remains unbothered. The perpetrators flourish. To abandon the horrors is an active step through female participation and mobility in administration.
It begins through the treatment of sexual abuse as only a moral issue, neglecting the structural failures. Women constitute around 21% of the Parliament where leadership is inherently limited in executive ministries. To direct a nation with the majority of its population missing is a dire collapse. It reflects in the allocation of budgets and resources, with an enforced mechanism that constrains implementation. The laws prevail without active administrative steps.
For a victim to break free from the mental prisons, is a step that requires social change. A revolutionary split. To walk to the police stations where men loom over as apathetic shadows allows the loop of stigma to resurface. Thousands of families are haunted by concepts of dishonour where they let the monsters walk free, and the harassment in the thana itself promotes the avoidance. The absence of women at the station is visible which is perpetuated by numerous reasons as we explore. Women make up less than 3% of the police force. When one walks in, the station is overflowing with male skepticism, victim-blaming and character/moral assasination.
The investigative process itself is impacted. Female detectives, investigative officers and medico-legal officers are absent- where the victim’s comfort is overlooked and the delays to collect evidence are overpowering. The forensic basis to explore and convict is therefore botched. On top of this, the procurement of evidence is an outdated process. Despite legal shifts for scientific evidence instead of the harrowing methods like two-finger test, the nation lacks the equipment to conduct objective and credible examinations.
If the case survives the agonizing procedure, the courtroom itself is not entirely welcoming. A significant shift is noted as you walk into one. The underrepresentation mocks. The cases revolve around arguments that target moral character rather than investigative evidence. This ties back to families once more avoiding the system in fear of the threat to honour. The loop forever continues. The lack of trauma-informed trials and careful consideration in all measures limits access to justice. Many withdraw due to duress and fear. The space is made disagreeable for women to exist.
The shift requires institutional ingraining of women’s equal and functional participation within entire structures. Solutions that reach grassroot levels are imperative. The cycle of absence of women in policymaking highlights in the numerous phases mentioned above. To configure auditing, funding and tracking conviction rates after active establishments like gender-based violence courts requires mandatory female oversight. Down to the minute details, policy shifts are essential.
The suffering shrieks throughout the nation. Utter distress is prevalent. The rising tide of reducing lives to headlines is a bellowing phantom. Existence is fleeting, but the misery is declared unbound. Dawn is foreseeable when paths converge to one.
