Protecting women

Pakistan is the third most dangerous country for women. Around 90 percent of women face some sort of persecution in the country. The Gender Gap Index 2015 brought abuses against women into the limelight. It further underscored the terrifying facts that around 55 percent of girls don’t attend any school and close to 35 percent girls are married before they reach the age of 16. These facts and figures are enough to sketch a picture of how brutally women are being treated in Pakistan. The UN General Assembly celebrates Nov 25 as an international day for eliminating violence against women. In the current year, the day was celebrated in Pakistan with usual regalia by social activists, NGOs and provincial governments as well as the federal government. They pursued rhetoric for manhandling against women rather than benevolent measures.

Although the government has taken an initiative to pass the laws relating to women protection, a lot is needed to be done to ensure the effectiveness of those laws. The government should allocate funds for women education in the financial budget of the country. The dilapidated women’s condition is becoming a cause of the tarnishing image of Pakistan. The country is being regarded as a country aggressive against women. The government must eliminate all causes that are responsible to perpetrate acts of manhandling against women. If our women are protected and educated, they would be able to contribute towards the growth of the country’s economy. This will help remove the stigma of violence against women.

Asad ur Rehman

Karachi