Women bill 2011

Despite being derailed twice, the landmark "Anti-Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Act, 2011" bill was finally approved in the National Assembly unanimously. It might be premature to celebrate the bill before approval in the upper house, but laudation is in order for the government, for taking an extremely positive step towards women emancipation. The bill, authored by Dr Donya Aziz belonging to the PML-Q, had been pending in the assembly for the last three years and faced various obstacles. Only last month, the bill was tabled in the assembly twice, just to be delayed by opposition and treasury benches for one pretext or the other. The Women Protection Bill, 2006 had also faced similar staunch reaction from members of the parliaments, particularly the religious parties which claimed the bill is against the Sharia. Pakistan does not have a stellar record when it comes to women's right. In a society that is strictly tied to its cultural, traditional roots; women are treated more as a commodity and symbol of honour than a human being. There have been countless incidents of sordid torture inflicted on women, both in the rural and urban areas. This bill at least gives some hope that there may be light at the end of the tunnel. The five-clause bill specifically deals with the cases where a woman is forced or compelled to enter in a marriage as badal-e-sulh, wanni, or swara or any other custom or practice under any name to settle a feud, prohibition of forced marriage, prohibition of depriving women from right of inheritance and prohibition of marriage with the Holy Quran. The bill, which specifically describes the clause on prohibition of marriage with the Quran, tackles a ritual which is often rife in the feudal families of Sindh and Punjab. Dealing with the issues prevalent in society that harm women's social rights and suggesting adequate punishment may not be enough. What needs to be emphasised is how it would be followed up practically. On this count, there is nothing mentioned in the bill. It fails to talk about any mechanism dealing with how cases will be reported and submitted to the police and courts. It has to be said that although the bill in itself is well-intentioned and a step in the right direction, the overall circumstances and prevailing mindset remain a far bigger obstacle. With mainstream political parties ambivalent on the rights of women most of the time, responsible individuals have failed to change the stereotypes. A case in point, is Senator Israrullah Zehri who only three years ago brashly declared on the floor of the assembly that the Baloch tribesman had done nothing wrong in first shooting the women and then dumping them in a ditch. "These are centuries-old traditions, and I will continue to defend them," he said. The biggest problem, however, remains on the ground. How can women approach the authorities to lodge their complaint. Police behaviour against victimised women has been recorded as extremely unhelpful while the judicial process is continuously slowed down for various reasons. The feudal culture in the rural areas will not easily be swayed into practising other than what their ancestors have carried out for centuries. Even in relatively modern urban settings in the cities, cases of accusing women of violating "family honour" by marrying with their own free accord has resulted in tragedies. Even though the culture is slightly changing with more women gaining independence and able to live life on their own, they are still considered a stigma to their families. This bill, however, can be considered a watershed for the women in the country as it was authored by a woman, and passed in an assembly which is governed by another woman. Despite twice failing, a remarkable persistence paved the way for its eventual approval. It remains to be seen whether the upper house follows the brave step and more importantly, if concrete and sincere effort is shown by the authorities to implement it in its letter and spirit and provide the much-needed support to the oppressed women in the country. Copyright Business Recorder, 2011