The recent heinous acts of violence against women are a stark reminder of our intolerant and patriarchal setup. Several women’s rights laws are already gathering dust in our legal files. We must ask ourselves: what have we become, and why is society moving towards more – and unimaginable – violence against women? Sadly enough, driven by rage, we are fast becoming a nation where tempers seem continually on the boil.
A holistic human rights framework is imperative if we want to treat our women with civility and respect. We need to remind ourselves that women are more than objects, and are individual beings who need support and care in order to be counted as educated, mature, and well-adjusted members of society. The inculcation of ‘reverence for life’ and tolerance needs to begin at the school and societal levels with a strong condemnation of all those deep-seated, inhuman cultural practices which fly in the face of dignified values as advocated in religious doctrines. There is also an urgent need to bring to book all those involved in crimes against women lest we become a desensitised society which is content with the suffering of its women.
Inayat Atta
Islamabad
