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.
Salamalikum
SM, as usual too many holes in your story. I’m not going to respond in detail because this discussion has taken place already; plus when I do respond it seems like both you and I get moderated out.
You missed the point. The point was any fahash influence whether it comes from a TV, VCR (i.e. the ghaleez Indian “family” movies), CD player, reading or people contact should be curtailed. The rise in the so-called “sexual tension” and acting upon it is due to people being badly influenced by fahash sources…from day one, no matter what the exact source was or when cable came to Pakistan. Also, satellite came way before 1999 (when supposedly cable came to Pakistan). Madaaris mushroomed or not, but those ugly satellite did mushroom on the roofs of Pakistani houses in early ’90s.
However, I agree with you on one thing: There are two many unregulated madaaris on every street corner where the level of teaching is poor and only nazara or hifz takes place. The actual Islamic teaching like aqida sciences, fiqh, hadith, tafseer, etc. don’t happen there. But, in other major institutions and madaaris the real teaching does take place and those “Mullahs” are anything but illetrate. Also, due to their lack of knowledge, those dime-a-dozen moulvis you find in several neighborhood mosques have no impact on the educational or political environment—they don’t think outside of their mosques.
However, the question is why these moulvis are hired in the neighborhood mosques in the first place? The answer is that the “educated” people are even more illiterate than the said moulvis about Islam. So, for them anyone who “looks like a aalim” and can recite more Quran than them is designated as a scholar. So, the real blames lies with the likes of you and me, who think Islamic knowledge comes just from being “wordly”.
Lastly, fyi, many “rich” or middle-class people also send their kids to madaaris (but the real ones) and not just the poor, and more and more are doing so. The situation to a small degree has been imporving especially for the past decade…both in East and the West.
Don’t forget Hadood Ordinance added to the plight of Women. As soon as it was modified no more problem from that side, so obviously the ordinance was at fault.
Ibrahim, please stop justifying the unjustifiable. Was there no harassment of women in Pakistan before cable channels (prior to 1999 to be specific)? The cable channels are not the problem. The depraved, unnatural values of the semi-educated mullah are the issue.
Whereas there was decent mingling amongst the sexes (i.e. unGodly thinks like talking, sharing jokes, celebrating cultural and family events etc.) in our society prior to the Zia blight, the mullahism he infused, with the help of Saudi money, completely destroyed the Pakistan that once existed. Madrassahs mushroomed and government schools were deliberately prevented from functioning so that they would not serve as a more balanced alternative. Hence poor people, for lack of any options, sent their kids to these dens of hate, also referred to as madrassahs, NOT to be closer to God, but to get free food and to learn a “lucrative trade”, i.e. the maulvi business. At least as a mullah they would earn a living by charging others for conducting khatams, praying for a fee or for isntruction on how to recite (recite, not read or understand) the Quran.
Once the madrassahs filled up, illiterate mullahs spread a particularly harsh (Pre-9/11 Saudi?) brand of Islam which essentially told men to lock up their women, decreed that glancing upon a woman’s face would ensure a man a place in hell, and proclaimed that women and men were not equal… the poppycock and bloody nonsense spread by this brand of “islam” (God forgive me for calling it by this name) did not end here.
The madrassah; that is the process – the factory – that has produced such a violent anti-eve environment in our country. Bearded men with prayer marks on their forehead don’t think twice before renting porn to vent their frustration or before groping women in buses and bazaars. Getting everyone to wear burqahs forcibly and ordering them to not think about anything other than what prayer to recite before eating, sleeping, drinking, entering a mosque, entering a bathroom (YES! there is a particular prayer for this too, according to the mullah!) and under threat of hellfire, NEVER EVER EVER glancing upon a woman, has led to a depraved society.
We need to create an alternate system of zero-cost education based on sane values, completely free of the medieval depravity propogated by the illiterate mullah. InshaAllah, once this happens, we will be rid of many of our ills, not just this animal-like behaviour towards the fairer sex.
May Allah rid us of terrorists, medievalists and depraved hypocrites hiding behind the mask of religion. Ameen.
Unfortunately, Sexual Harrasment in the workplace is just the tip of iceberg.
Pakistani women face many other challenges as well. An article in The News quoted a study that found 77% of Pakistani men think it is “macho” to beat up their wives.
http://tinyurl.com/2jxg84
First we have to agree that there is sexual harassment in Pakistan in the workplace, on the street, and in the home. I have not found a Pakistani woman who lives abroad in USA, Canada, or United Kingdom who wants to go back to Pakistan. Men always talk and yearn for going back, but women do not. This is the proof that there is sexual harassment.
Secondly, all the posts talk about harassment in the work place and on the street. I believe it starts at home, where men learn how to treat women. Once that is fixed, workplace and street harassment will decrease automatically.
Last year, I was in Pakistan and I went to different mosques which had Imams who were simply ignorant while others were so called well educated Alims who preach on TV. I found that all of them always devote a portion of their khutba to how bad the women are, and quoted things that were not reliable Hadith. I told my friends when I came back to US that if I stayed long in Pakistan, I will stop practicing Islam that is preached by these Imams. No wonder, the people with some worldly education do not go to the Mosques in Pakistan while in US all educated Moslems frequent the mosques.