‘Laws on violence against women useless if not enforced’

Rights activists on Thursday stressed the need for strict implementation of women protection laws across Pakistan. The call was raised in a panel discussion after the screening of a documentary, ‘Hidden Footsteps’, on the rampant issue of violence against women.

The documentary’s producer, Nageen Hayat, said laws such as the Hudood Ordinance imposed during military dictator Zia-ul-Haq’s tenure had, in fact, contributed to an increase in violence against women in Pakistani society.

She said the infamous ordinance had caused Pakistan’s women multiple problems that she had attempted to highlight through her film. Nageen called for the disbandment of the country’s Council of Islamic Ideology.

She also highlighted Pakistan’s cybercrime law as a cause of concern and called for efforts to redress the plethora of issues regarding social media use in the country.

Author and columnist Zahida Hina said the topic of incest was never discussed openly in Pakistan and anyone who wrote or spoke about it faced a barrage of criticism. She said Pakistani males were also targets of violence. Citing Mashal Khan as a recent example, she said a war had to be fought for the rights of both males and females in Pakistan. Justice (Retd) Majida Rizvi, chairperson of the Sindh Human Rights Commission, spoke of the opposition put up against the enforcement of laws such as the Hudood Ordinance. “We are regressing in some matters, as exemplified by the Mashal Khan case. In Sindh, some progressive laws have been introduced but their remains a lingering question mark on their sincere implementation,” she said.

Farhat Fatima, a representative from Pakistan Institute of Labour and Education Reasearch (Piler) stressed the need for awareness on laws against sexual harassment at workplaces. She said a majority of harassment cases were not reported and called for efforts for generating greater awareness about these laws.