Poor Treatment of Females
Violence against Pakistani women begins from young. Many are raped; sexual assault remains one of the most common crimes in Pakistan.) According to The Human Rights Commission, rape occurs every three hours in Pakistan (excluding the numerous unreported cases); many women are forced into marriages or prostitution or have acid thrown onto them. Some go through honour killings and human trafficking. Girls, unlike boys, are not allowed to play games that can help in speeding up their mental and physical development. If a woman is suspected of having an extra-marital relationship, a common practice is to cut off her nose. Some examples are listed below:
Domestic Violence
Public Executions eg. Stoning, shooting, beating etc
- Abuse includes physical violence, assault such as slaps, kicks, hits and beatings, psychological abuse, sexual abuse, and humiliation etc. Most women do not dare to ask for help because they are afraid of retribution and they are usually not supported by their family and friends. They are unwilling to divorce because divorce is a taboo in the Pakistani society and it is seem as bringing shame to her family. According the studies, about 70% of abused women have never told anyone about the abuse.
Public Executions eg. Stoning, shooting, beating etc
- Stoning: Stoning is execution by torture (as the process is slower than other forms of execution), a form of capital punishment, whereby a group throws stones at a person until death ensues. For example, a Pakistani woman was stoned to death in 2013 for merely owning a cell phone.
- Shooting: This footage shows how a woman who was merely suspected of committing adultery was shot to death by a Taliban.
- Beating: This video below shows how a girl was beaten up by the Pakistani Taliban in public. It also shows how people in Pakistan are actually against these kind of actions but are too afraid to speak up for their rights.
Honour Killings
- Honor killing is the homicide of a family member or social group member by other members, due to the perpetrators' belief that the victim has brought shame or dishonor upon the family or community. If a Pakistani woman wants to divorce her husband or has done something that brought shame to the family (for example, adultery), she can be killed and will be dishonoured even after her death. According to a report by Amnesty International, several hundred women and girls die each year in honor-killings.
No Rights to Make Own's Decisions
- Females do not have the right to choose most of the times. At a young age, a girl's parents, grandparents, elder family females, family males, and brothers makes decisions for them. Most of the time, marriages are arranged by the family and a female can be killed for marrying someone she loves. Women generally are arranged marry at a very young age, even possibly at 13, have several babies, and generally do not work outside their home. Even after marriage, her husband and in-laws help her make decisions, on matters such as the number of children she should have, whether or not she would produce only boys, seek independent employment and so on. When she grows old and her husband passes away, it is her son(s) who makes decisions for her.
- A woman needs permission from a male to even qualify for a loan. According to the study, 50% to 70% of loans given to women in Pakistan may actually be used by their male relative.
- See Gender Imbalance.
- However, the treatment of women also varies based on their background. Women of major ethnic groups could enjoy better treatment compared to women in minor ethnic groups. For example, Punjabis and Pashtuns women enjoy education and entertainment. Majority of the women holding political positions in the government are from such major ethnic groups. Women who are uneducated and from rural areas tend to be treated more unfairly than those who are educated and from urban areas.