By: Aasma Tahir
In the past we see many cases where justice remained delayed so to be denied forever. I think it is the responsibility of every citizen to let the ladies feel secure in wherever environment they are. Especially in this growing gender discriminated world where gender equality is taken for granted and is not taken as a fundamental human right. Women should empower themselves not just in the social and political fields but for the sake of their body rights as well. You talk about motorway? No place and time is safe for women in this society. No matter she is alone or with family, she is traveling in day or at night, she is at home or outside. This is not polluted but a suffocated society. The only fact is that our people should clean their minds before cleaning the environment to make this world safe for us.
It is not true that Pakistan is the only country where this inhuman crime has happened when we see the whole scenario, it is observed that there are ten countries with the highest rates of rape comprising the number of incidents per 100,000 citizens. South Africa is having 500,000 rapes per year. When we the historical scenario of women rights, we observe the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women and the Mirable Sisters are behind this effort who were assassinated in the Dominican Republic, they also known as “the butterfly sisters”. They fought for the rights of women so here we are, forgetting the legacy of our feminist movements? Another landmark of feminists’ movements is the case of Rosa Park. No matter how much struggle the women has done until now, still they are lagging behind in every field of society.
We need to give confidence to women instead of blaming them that they are the cause of such monstrous crime of rape. Women are not safe anywhere in the society, they are being harassed the every next moment. They are subdued by their look, what they are wearing and the way they are moving in malls and roads freely. The question is that have they don’t a right to go alone anywhere as a men has?Yes, it is known to all that Islam does not allow women to go outside without man but they are not bound to this fact, because there are so many families where there is no single man exist, only ladies are the sole earners. Ok leave this situation. See, how brutally they are raping the dead bodies, even they don’t spare the baby girls of few months. Stop blaming the victim that she was dress like this, she was driving at night, and she was without a man. These are nothing more than lame excuses to let the justice remain delayed.Problem is not with the women but it exists in the mindset of our society. Especially in the backward areas where there is lack of education and no awareness, therefore, frustrated minds are bound to do this act.
No doubt our Govt. is doing efforts for the accountability of culprits as they succeeded in previous cases too. The Zainab case is still haunting our minds. Our hearts are still bleeding with even a thought of such criminality……What about the future planning?How to root the crime out from the society?Of course proper awareness, education and women empowerment is needed. When we restrict the girls within four walls just for the sake of protection it will create more hurdles in their lives. We have to come out, speak out, fight for our rights. Otherwise the shift of this male dominated society will demolish the rest of the freedom. First of all we should not compare our country to the whole world. This is the land where Islam bestows equal rights to man and woman, no matter in education or property. Second inevitable fact is “Justice” which can never be ignored. What are we expecting after a month of such heinous crime? The criminal should be sentenced to death from the very next day of the happening but our Govt., and Police all applying the same futile techniques as they did in past incidents and it will be repeated again and again in the future.
We are in dire need to educate the men to respect women as they are not show pieces, not a thing to be entertained but a complete living soul, a creature full of wisdom and the most importantly is reason of your creation. This is the duty of every sister, mother and teacher to teach the youth. The mindset of children is the only thing which should be changed so we can expect revolution in the world full of women discrimination.
The writer is a columnist, poet, fiction writer and translator. She can be reached at [email protected]