Sitting in the lobby of Avari Hotel, Lahore, Mukhtaran Mai, the symbol of violence against women, appeared quite simple but straightforward while sharing her views about what has changed in Pakistan regarding women’s rights in the past 13 years.
She lost many things as a person and achieved several things in her collective struggle for equality, dignity and respect for women in Pakistani society. The motto of her life is to continue the struggle even in disappointment and keep raising voice for justice. Two main goals of her life are struggle for justice, and education for all children in her area.
Mai was dragged by four men on the order of a local Jirga in her village Meerwala in an underdeveloped district of Muzaffargarh in south Punjab on June 22, 2002 who attempted to rape her. The local Jirga ordered her gang-rape as part of ‘revenge’ to be taken from her family against another dispute. Her rape was ordered as ‘punishment’ to her family after her 12-year-old younger brother was accused of having illicit relations with a woman from a rival clan.
The issue, after appearing in the local press, enraged the global media, ending up in making Mai a symbol of Pakistani women who stood for justice -- for making her culprits an example in the law for others. There have been 13 years and her struggle is still on.
Mai, 43, is now running a welfare organisation in her district. The organisation, named after her, runs two schools, one shelter home for women whose life is at risk in the name of honour, a helpline for the victims of violence against women, a legal aid cell, and a counselling centre in her village. She sometimes visits other cities and even goes abroad for conferences. She has more than 45 staff members in her primary and girls high school with above 1,000 students.
This time, in Lahore, she came to share her experiences with Umeed Jawan Peace Network for two days and took out some time to talk to The News on Sunday. She registered her organisation in 2005 that gets foreign assistance from a number of countries that stood with her, pressing Pakistan to ensure justice.
Her life is still in danger but she seems confident. "Now I like working in the face of challenges and difficulties. You cannot enjoy the work unless it is difficult and if it is not challenging, it is not enjoyable," she says, smilingly.
Taking a review of her past 13 years, Mai thinks she lost much and achieved several things. "If I talk about myself I lost many things and if I see my area I find many good things happening as a result of this incident," she says. "I lost my sleep. In 13 years, I have never slept properly. I am not who I was. I have lost that old life. There was freedom (even limited in that culture) but now I feel imprisoned with security around me."
Now there are more dangers but when I see a lot of children studying in my schools I feel happy. "Sometimes I feel disappointed but when I see women of my area I feel better because of the awareness they have now. Now wherever there is violence against women, victims are standing up for their rights."
However, she thinks that implementation of the existing laws about women is so weak and criminal justice system so faulty that these victim women start losing heart at the very first step of justice, which is the police station.
Married to a police constable after the tragedy, and happily living with a son and a daughter, Mai realises her job is entirely different than her husband’s. "My husband is in police and I always receive complaints against police from victims of violence and he faces lot of pressure because of me."
She says there are serious problems in implementing laws on women and ensuring justice but she is trying to educate the victims about their rights and laws.
"In 13 years, I have come to understand that it is impossible to get justice in Pakistan. My case was quite obvious but the country’s criminal justice system crippled my case. There are laws but there is no implementation."
She says that in their search for justice, women have to encounter men. "I don’t say that all men are alike but there are men everywhere and no women. There should be more women in judiciary and as lawyers; we also need women in every police station to deal with women -- which is my biggest demand. You cannot move forward otherwise."
When women go the police station to report rape, they have to deal with men. "The men ask foul, humiliating questions that we can’t answer. Why can’t women deal with women? It would help the cause of women," she says.
She believes that feudalism still exists but its shape is changing. Earlier, the decisions were being made at their Deras but now that place has been replaced with the police station -- they manipulate and do whatever they want to do through police. It is difficult to change the mindset. It will take a long time.
A few months ago, inspired by the horrific gang rape of illiterate Mukhtaran Mai on orders of a village council, a play "Thumbprint", was produced in Manhattan, New York having an eight-night run. The objective was to highlight the apathy towards women in Pakistani society.
A couple of days after Pakistan’s Senate Standing Committee approved a new law against rape, the rapists of a 23-year-old schoolteacher in the Punjab province put the video of the rape scene they had filmed on the social media to make her life even more miserable.
Her whole case moved around fabricated First Information Report that is mostly exaggerated. "Unless this system changes Pakistan cannot make progress," she believes.
Education can change the system. We need to do more work to educate and create awareness among girls at house and school level. Mothers have a big role, she says, adding, "Zulm ko ilm say khatam karo" (Eliminate violence and ignorance through education.
Regarding rape cases, Mai says, there is no change in justice system, sadly. "I don’t think that we have learnt from examples like me. The target cannot be achieved unless there is justice," she says. "Does our justice system think that even minor girls who are being raped and women who are committing suicides after not getting justice in rape cases are also accomplices to this horrible crime?"