by JayJay
The life of a Pakistani woman is not easy. It is not a hidden fact that she is subjected to discrimination and harassment, within and without the so-called sanctuary of her home. However, harassment and bullying becomes more intense and blatant when she steps out of her home for work or education. From catcalls to verbal innuendo to physical harassment, she has to endure it all, mostly at the hands of strangers, on the streets and on public transport. This harassment does not stop, or rather become more palpable in many cases, at her place of work. The act of harassing women, with sexual tones and motives, by fellow employees or supervisors/managers is referred to sexual harassment. Wikipedia defines sexual harassment as:
Harassment or unwelcome attention of a sexual nature. It includes a range of behavior from mild transgressions and annoyances to serious abuses, which can even involve forced sexual activity. Sexual harassment is considered a form of illegal discrimination in many countries, and is a form of abuse (sexual and psychological) and bullying.
An editorial from The News on October 1 has summed up the issue well, by pointing out to the absence of appropriate legislation to deal with this growing phenomenon. Offering some the broad suggestions, the editorial reads:
As a first step, the government and the private sector should join hands to start a campaign in which sexual harassment in the workplace is defined. This will make working women understand what is acceptable and what is not acceptable behavior in a workplace. The second step in this national exercise would be to ask employers to put into place a proper policy that defines sexual harassment and clearly spells out what action is to be taken against someone found guilty of it. In addition to this, employers need to have a mechanism which enables any employee subjected to such harassment to approach an appropriate forum for filing a complaint. The complaint should be treated confidentially and investigated, and if guilty the offender should be punished according to the employer’s code of ethics for employees. Of course, given that many companies have an environment which is more or less male-dominated and where men are in most decision-making senior roles, it may be a bit much to expect that things will change overnight. However, to do nothing would also be a sign that we as a nation are not willing to evolve and provide justice to those who are victims of this menace.The menace of sexual harassment at the place of work has been comprehensively and effectively addressed by the West where workplaces are no longer the sole domain of men. Pakistan has a lot to catch up on this matter, and quickly so, as more and more women are entering workforce. It makes economic sense both for employers and the government to have an effective and clear legislation and corporate policies to protect women against harassment. Not only skills and talent of education women can be brought to use more effectively by attracting them in a safe workplace but it has been seen worldwide that presence of women in offices helps boost productivity, besides infusing fresh ideas and way of thinking.
While enacting a piece of legislation and formulating policies is most critical step, a concerted awareness campaign is necessary to influence general attitudes and social behaviors. Without bringing about change to prevalent perception of working women in Pakistan, there is little chance of success in overcoming the problem of sexual harassment. The fact of matter is that most women in Pakistan brave into men-dominated workplaces out of economic necessity, rather than to fulfill career aspirations. The position of women in workplace in Europe, North American and even South East Asia has become entrenched, still it is not odd to come across a public service announcement to press the message on the issue. Such public service announcements are even more necessary in a society like Pakistan where we leg behind even comparable countries in accepting the role of women at work.
I am not surprised at all the men who are arm chair defenders of the Pakistan and Islam and still argue that that woman are not sexually harassed in Pakistan. I am a man of Pakistani origin who came to the West as a graduate student 35 years ago. I am also a practicing Moslem. So when I see posts of the likes of Mr. Thinker, I am ashamed.
To solve a problem, first we have to admit that a there is a problem. I can see why sexual harasment exists in abundance in Pakistan. We still have not admitted that a problem exists.
Thanks for the idea, Baber. Pedophilia is another social plague that we have kept buried under the pile of misplaced stigma, religious sensitivities and our collective hypocritical attitudes when it comes to public morality.
Coming back to the topic, it is sad that this debate has descended into typical victim-bashing on an issue of rights and protection of women. The redundant argument “she asked for it” has been sadly unearthed, again, as the last weapon of ignorance rather than accepting the existence of the problem (preferably with a pang of guilt) – acceptance of a problem amounts to resolving two-third of it. Exploration of the techniques for creating awareness on the problem and suggesting a set of legislative measures to rectify the situation would have followed as a natural course.
Tina and Qandeel have been fighting a brave battle against the odds. I wish they had more support from men, although many did see their point. The suggestion by Chief Sahib can be an excellent litmus test for skeptics to learn more intimately about the problem.
Appreciate if somebody can share any positive examples from their workplace or from the street where by implementing a code of conduct or by any measure there were successes in confronting sexual, or any other form of, harassment.
Sultan Ghori - In an earlier post, you wrote the following
“unfortunately you know nothing about Muhammad Iqbal and Muhammad Ali Jinnah and talking about pakistaniat; how come????? ”
You seem to imply that Jinnah was not in favour of women’s equal participation in society. The historical records, however, paint a different story. Jinnah was extremely progressive on women’s issues. Two quotes by Jinnah illustrate this point:
“I have always maintained that no nation can ever be worthy of its existence that cannot take its women along with the men. No struggle can ever succeed without women participating side by side with men. There are two powers in the world; one is the sword and the other is the pen. There is a great competition and rivalry between the two. There is a third power stronger than both, that of the women.”
Speech at Islamia College for women March 25, 1940
“No nation can rise to the height of glory unless your women are side by side with you. We are victims of evil customs. It is a crime against humanity that our women are shut up within the four walls of the houses as prisoners. There is no sanction anywhere for the deplorable condition in which our women have to live.”
Speech at a meeting of the Muslim University Union, Aligarh March 10, 1944
Sixty years later, women in Pakistan continue to struggle for their rights. And judging by some of the posts on this blog, this struggle is going to continue for quite a while longer.
Jay Jay…
Are you gonna write a post on sexual harrasement of young boyz? specially in peshawar and mosques in our country.
This discussion has strayed off the main post, which was harassment of women in Pakistan and what can be done about it.
I think Chief Sahib has summed it up nicely with his suggestion to those who deny the problem exists or recommend chaddar and chardiwaree as the solution:
“Dress up as a woman, wear even a burqa, and try traveling on Karachi buses to, let’s say, a hospital (that is as innocent a scenario as I can think of) then return in a bus at night to your home. Repeat for a week and tell me your EXPERIENCE.”
Chief Sahib, I hope you will excuse me for making very minor change to your quote above.
As a half baked German and Pakistani I have to write:
In regard to sex, medieval moralists were hardly tolerant or affirmative. They showed little concern for human happiness here on earth, but rather encouraged the mortification of the flesh for the sake of a pure afterlife. In their opinion, physical pleasure was, at best, unimportant, and, at worst, corrupting. It diverted the soul from the straight path toward heaven. Thus, one can easily assume that the Middle Ages were a period of austerity, cheerlessness, and unrelenting asceticism. For several reasons, however, such an impression would be wrong.
First, we have to remember that in actual practice the medieval world was not as uniform as the official moral doctrines seem to imply. There were vast differences between countries and even between regions of the same country. City dwellers lived by different values than did farmers, and feudal lords had different sexual mores from their serfs. Furthermore, in spite of its great influence, the church did not have an iron grip on every citizen. Pre-Christian sexual customs and attitudes persisted in many areas for a very long time. Under the circumstances, theologians tended to be more rigoristic than they might have been otherwise. Thus, a certain gap between the ideal and the real was always taken for granted. Also, the general living conditions were still so unrefined that there was not much room for sexual delicacy. The majority of the population lived in the countryside close to nature. Many people, in fact, shared their houses with their cattle. Families were used to sleeping together in the same room, often in the same bed. Neither the highest nor the lowest classes enjoyed much personal privacy, but there was no squeamishness or embarrassment about the natural bodily functions. Nudity as such was not a moral issue. Inns and hostels expected their guests to sleep together with strangers of both sexes. A person refusing to share his bed or to take off his clothes would have been suspected of being diseased or disfigured. Public nudity was common in bathhouses, which were a favorite social gathering places for men and women of all ages. That there was also a great deal of vigorous sexual activity is well documented by writers such as Chaucer and Boccaccio. In short, compared to our own time, people were remarkably uninhibited.
Still, for the modern observer, the most surprising aspect of sexual life in the Middle Ages is perhaps the general attitude toward children. It is often believed today that infant sexuality was discovered for the first time by Sigmund Freud in our century, and that before him children were always considered “pure” and “asexual” creatures. Actually, however, the taboo against childhood sex play is only a few hundred years old. In ancient and medieval Europe alike, the sexual interests of children were well recognized. Indeed, mothers, grandmothers and nurses were accustomed to masturbating small children in order to put them to sleep or keep them quiet. Until boys and girls were able to reproduce, they were not closely supervised, and remained free of sexual restrictions. Furthermore, nobody made any effort to determine a person’s exact age. Children often did not know bow old they were, and neither did their parents. As soon as a girl bad her first menstruation, she was believed ready for marriage.
These traditional customs began to change only with the arrival of our modern age. Technological progress, increasing specialization of labor, growth of the cities, and the gradual transition to a capitalist economic system produced a new way of life. The churches started to keep accurate birth registers. Age differences became more important, as did the efficient use of time and the strict observation of schedules. Between the sixteenth and the eighteenth centuries, childhood began to be perceived as a separate phase of life with special needs of its own. Religious orders founded the first exclusive schools for the young. And people began to create fashions, books, games, and toys that were “suitable for children.”
It should be noted, however, that in many parts of Europe the older, less protective view persisted for a long time. This view is exemplified by one of the earliest children’s books, the Colloquia Familiaria by Erasmus of Rotterdam. Erasmus wrote the Colloquia in 1522 for his six-year-old godson “in order to teach him good Latin and to educate him for the world.” The text deals with all sorts of domestic experiences and problems, including sexual ones. There are detailed and very frank discussions of sexual desire, sexual pleasure, and sexual intercourse, conception, pregnancy, birth, marriage, divorce, prostitution, and venereal disease. The language is straightforward and sometimes even humorous. Sex appears as a natural and pleasant part of life which must be approached with understanding and common sense.
yeah whatever.. i know wat she meant exactly and her irony was for whom; you just didnt see that.. anyway see ya guys, i wish i could learn something new but its the same story here; the next chapter is always ineteresting. When God hits He hits very hard, I hope that taste of “western freedom” disappears before that….
i’ll leave you guys with this… something of knowledge..
Allah has set a seal upon their hearts and upon their hearing and there is a covering over their eyes, and there is a great punishment for them. Quran [2:7]
May God forgive us all. Amen
“misguided” was used by Tina ironically for herself and her peers and wasn’t directed at you thinker. Please read the posts before you attack.