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| May 8, 2003 | Thursday | Rabi-ul-Awwal 5, 1424 |
Social taboos encourage violence against women
ISLAMABAD, May 7: The male chauvinist society in the country has always been looking for ways to curtail freedom, mobility, growth and rights of women by blaming them for all ills.
This was stated by Dr Fauzia Saeed, a human rights activist while speaking at a seminar on ‘violence against women’.
Differentiating between abuse and violence, Dr Saeed pointed out that abuse was a broader category encompassing all violences.
She lamented that the society had accorded social acceptability to violence against women.
She regretted that most cases of violence, particularly rape, go unreported because the women did not find courage to challenge the socio-cultural stigma prevalent in society. If a rape victim reports the incident, then ultimate fallout for her is divorce if she is married, she added.
People often raise finger at rape victim by falsely claiming her complicity in the incident but exonerate the rapists under various flimsy pretexts, she said.
The patriarchic construct of society also came under fierce criticism with some saying that even mothers fed the lesson of conformity and submissiveness to their daughters with this unjust social fabric.
About the role of art in fight against violence, she said art was a powerful medium in inculcating respect for women. “The effect of a verse is more enchanting and lasting than any decree of the king in bringing durable positive change in the society,” she added.
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