ISLAMABAD, Oct 22: Women subjected to violence generally accept it quietly or face it helplessly rather than retaliating or reacting against the injustice committed on them, an official report indicated.

The report prepared by the Punjab Women Development and Social Welfare Department, citing survey results said 42.4 per cent of the women accept the violence as their fate, while 33.6 per cent are helpless in standing up to it. A very small number of the violated women react, with 19.2 per cent only protesting against the abuse and a meagre 4.8 per cent retaliate.

Strangely enough the 4.8 per cent women who do retaliate cause more damage to themselves. Under these circumstances, the British Secretary of State, Claire Short’s message: “Rise up against violence or else you’ll not have dignity” was the most appropriate message she could have given to local women leaders during her brief visit to Pakistan.

The study while identifying the perpetrators of violence said in 53.6 per cent cases the women are violated by the males in the community, who are not related to them and 32 per cent are abused by their husbands.

Unfortunately, the third important source of violence committed against women are other women; mother and sister-in- laws, and step mothers. Brothers and fathers together constitute 2 per cent of perpetrators of violence.

The violence affects women’s physical and emotional health; work and efficiency; children and the family environment. The community also bears the brunt of this violence.

As regards the nature of violence the women face is harassment in the form of staring, chasing, indecent gesturing and physical and verbal abuse. The other major form of violence is mental and psychological torture.

According to the survey only five per cent cases of rape and honour killings were reported. On the other hand women rights activists almost always focus on these two crimes while working on violence against women. The survey reveals that the campaigns of these groups have been misdirected in this regard.

The three major reasons for violence are: male domination (32.8 per cent); financial dependency (25.6 per cent) and lack of education (20 per cent).

Other minor reasons given in the survey: are suspicion (8 per cent), non-performance of household chores (6.4 per cent), large family size and intervention by in-laws (each 1.6 per cent).

Women activists while commenting on the situation said: “It’s a pity that law enforcing agencies do not effectively provide protection to women against harassment and to make the matters even worse they do not recognise domestic violence, staring, chasing and indecent gesturing as crime.”

The women, these activists believe, are hindered from seeking legal redressal due to social prejudices and local traditions, which make the laws formulated to check violence against women, redundant.

The psychologists at a government hospital in their comments said it is significant that women should be made to realise that physical violence and mental torture at home and harassment at public places is not something for which they should hold themselves responsible or suffer silently and helplessly.

“So strong has this feeling been instilled in their psyche that their own behaviour is responsible for the treatment meted out to them that many women try to conceal the abuses they suffer,” a psychiatrist said.

Women should be made aware that abuse in any form is against their fundamental rights. While males need to be taught that they should not resort to violence in their treatment of women, which is not only against the law, but also against humanity.—Zahra Syed