Religious scholars from different schools of faith stressed that it was "crucial" to end violence of all kinds against women in order to build a peaceful society and maintain interfaith harmony, a press statement by EVAW Alliance KP and UN Women said on Tuesday.
The scholars were attending a dialogue, jointly organised by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) office of UN Women and the EVAW Alliance KP, to observe the 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence (GBV). The scholars also signed a declaration condemning gender-based violence and vowed to spread awareness in their respective communities to put an end to the practice.
They also acknowledged that while any individual can be a victim of GBV, in Pakistan, women, "being the most vulnerable segment of society and deprived of their basic rights", were more likely to face such violence, followed by members of the transgender community. The scholars emphasised that it was the state's responsibility to protect the vulnerable sections of society.
"There is a need to strengthen state-run social protection networks and ensure the provision of required support to vulnerable groups,” the press release quoted the scholars as saying.
“For prevention of gender-based violence, the state has primary responsibility to protect its citizens and religious leaders have a strong potential to influence the lives and behaviour of those who follow their faith and share their beliefs,” they further said.
Explaining the role of religious leaders in efforts against GBV, EVAW/G Alliance co-Chair Qamar Naseem said that scholars had great influence over people and can help in "shaping the behaviour of local communities".
“It is essential to engage religious scholars from different faith groups, as a practical strategy, to raise awareness on gender-based violence and address the issue,” Naseem was quoted as saying.
Provincial head of United Nations Women KP, Zainab Qaisar Khan, said that gender-based violence was not limited to domestic abuse, sexual violence including rape and honour crimes and added: “It can happen anywhere, anytime and across all classes irrespective of education level and income status. It can happen against boys, men, elderly and transgender but mostly the target are women and girls.”
More than a thousand victims of honour crimes were recorded last year, including a woman who was strangled and “cut up” by her brothers and two sisters shot for their “bad character”.
The annual report by the independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) recorded gang rapes, kidnapping, acid attacks, amputations, burnings and said almost 800 women killed themselves or attempted suicide.The report warned that despite a series of landmarks in 2015, which saw the first Pakistani female firefighter and rickshaw driver start work, exploitation and abuse remains rife with little judicial recourse.
Pakistan’s largest state passed a landmark law in February criminalising domestic violence, stalking, cybercrime and other forms of abuse but a coalition of more than 30 groups have demanded its withdrawal.Mainstream Islamic political parties are among those opposing the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act 2015 and threatening to launch nationwide protests.
The Council of Islamic Ideology, a constitutional body that advises the Pakistani government, declared the protections and punishments stipulated “un-Islamic”.
The council has previously supported a law requiring women alleging rape to get four male witnesses to testify in court before a case is heard and blocked harsher penalties for child marriages.
Maulana Fazlur Rehman, the chief of one of Pakistan's largest religious parties, the Jamiat-i-Ulema Islam,and now Chairman of Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM) said the law was in conflict with both Islam and the constitution of Pakistan.
“This law makes a man insecure,” he told journalists. “This law is an attempt to make Pakistan a Western colony again.”The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan report said prosecution rates for domestic violence and sexual offences were low, with women frequently too afraid to report the crimes or being intimidated into withdrawing complaints.
