The passage of a law known as "The Prevention of Anti-Women Practices Act 2011" by the parliament the other day, declaring denial of property rights to women and forced marriages as cognisable offences, undoubtedly is a very progressive initiative that takes Pakistan several notches up on the ladder of morality and social justice.
At the international level, the touchstone of morality of a nation or a society is the way it treats its womenfolk. Women are a very important segment of any society and without their unhindered participation in all spheres of life, no nation can march towards its cherished goals of economic, political and cultural progress and aspire to earn a respectable place in the comity of nations. That perhaps adequately explains the difference between developed and non-developed nations.
A close, unbiased and objective appraisal of the political history of Pakistan reveals that notwithstanding the incessant flak directed at PPP by its detractors, the rightist elements and their sympathisers in the media and the controversies surrounding its brand of politics, the party enjoys the unique and unrivaled distinction of pioneering efforts for emancipation of women in the country.
The new legislation on harassment and amendment in Section 509 A of the Pakistan Penal Code lays a solid foundation for ensuring harassment-free working environment for women. It is a significant initiative on many counts. Firstly, it will encourage the already working women - who have been enduring the humiliation of sexual harassment in the absence of an appropriate legal support - to spurn and resist unwanted approaches by their work mates or bosses and do their jobs with an unruffled confidence. Secondly, it will remove the biggest hurdle in the way of women who were reluctant to join the workforce due to this phenomenon. Thirdly, it would greatly help in changing the mindset of those who indulge in the detestable pursuit of sexual harassment of women. It will also act as a catalyst to nudge the process of social and economic change. Women constitute nearly 51 percent of our population and their uninhibited participation in the economic activities can also impart impetus to the government efforts to eliminate poverty. The step has been widely acclaimed as an epoch-making move by the Pakistan government, including the UN and the NGOs dealing with women issues, the world over.
The PPP government can also rightly boast of legislating on another very important and sensitive issue of domestic violence. For years, domestic violence has been a source of public concern but no past governments ever dared to delve into it. The courage and commitment shown by the government to tackle this nagging problem through Prevention of Domestic Violence Act 2008 is beyond any reproach.
Granting of complete administrative and financial autonomy to the National Commission on Status of Women and fixation of 10% quota for women in the government jobs in addition to the initiation of the process to review all the discriminatory laws against women will surely contribute to the emancipation of women in Pakistan as well as accelerate the process of development besides improving the image of the country in the comity of nations, as a progressive Islamic country. This un-acknowledged social revolution deserves adequate attention of the media and society.