Whenever there is oppression, there is resistance, says HRCP chairperson

The Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) on Sunday organised a seminar on the theme of women’s resistance against oppression at the Karachi Press Club (KPC).

The seminar was chaired by Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Chairperson Asad Iqbal Butt and attended by a large number of political and human rights activists.

Prominent speakers included Aurat Foundation’s Mahnaz Rahman, Sammi Baloch of the Baloch Yakjehti Council, HBWWF Genera; Secretary Zehra Khan, Sorath Lohar of the Missing Persons Recovery Movement, academic Dr Asghar Ali Dashti, National Trade Union Federation (NTUF) General Secretary Nasir Mansoor and KPC President Saeed Sarbazi.

The speakers at the event paid rich tribute to three revolutionary sisters from the Dominican Republic known as the Butterfly Sisters whose struggle against dictatorship is commemorated globally on November 25.

Zehra highlighted how the sisters, Patria Mirabal, Minerva Mirabal and Maria Teresa Mirabal, became symbols of democratic freedom and women’s empowerment after they sacrificed their lives in the fight against a brutal regime. The United Nations officially declared November 25 as International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women in their honour in 1999.

The HBWWF secretary general emphasized that the issues of state oppression, authoritarian governance and misogynistic social attitudes that the Butterfly Sisters fought against persisted globally, including in Pakistan.

She said political activists faced persecution in Pakistan, enforced disappearances continued unabated and democratic freedoms were severely restricted.

Women workers particularly in factories faced harassment while systemic gender discrimination prevailed in political, social and economic spheres, Zehra lamented.

Mansoor said that despite the passage of a law against workplace harassment in Pakistan in 2010, societal norms and judicial delays had made justice nearly unattainable, as a result of which Pakistan remained the sixth most dangerous country for women with alarming statistics.

He added that 85 per cent of women workers experienced harassment in workplaces and 90 per cent of domestic workers faced harassment. Forty per cent of women reported digital harassment and 28 per cent of women aged between 14 and 49 years faced physical violence who six per cent were victims of sexual violence.

Additionally, over 8,000 families were affected by enforced disappearances with thousands of women enduring psychological and social distress due to missing loved ones, Mansoor said.

He recognised the critical role played by women in resisting authoritarianism and advocating for democracy and equality in Pakistan. He highlighted the enduring contributions of figures like Fatima Jinnah, Benazir Bhutto, Asma Jahangir, Kaneez Fatima, Tahira Mazhar Ali and contemporary activists like Dr Mahrang Baloch, Sami Baloch, Sorath Lohar and Zehra Khan.

Sharing her personal story, Sammi Baloch of the Baloch Yakjehti Committee brought attention to the plight of families affected by enforced disappearances. Being a woman in this society was itself a form of oppression, she said as she described how Baloch women waited endlessly for their missing loved ones.

In his speech, Sarbazi focused on the civil rights issues in the country. He added that the KPC office bearers were committed to protecting the sanctity of the press club and they stood with all the oppressed people.

He highlighted how discriminatory policies such as restrictions on hotel stays for people from Balochistan reflected deeper problems.

Wherever there was oppression, there was resistance, said the HRCP chairperson. He shared statistics about violence against women and stressed the need for breaking feudal mindset and bringing forward young leadership in the resistance movement. — PPI