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April 25, 2004
REVIEWS: On the fringe
Abductions. Elopements. Extra- marital affairs. Double marriages. Murders. Drug dealing. Prostitution. No, this is not some racy novel from the West. It is, in fact, a collection of true life stories of women in custodial institutions in Pakistan, who are being written about as being symbolic of a populace existing on the fringes of society’s consciousness, driven out by the interplay of varied power structures, and locked in place.
This publication shows how the lives of some perfectly normal middle class or lower middle class Pakistani women went horribly wrong, in most cases for no fault of their own. And the punishment and suffering that they have to bear as a consequence of this.
This booklet is an initiative taken by the NGO Action Aid Pakistan as part of a greater report on listening to people in poverty. In her foreword, writer Nazish Brohi states that the issue confronting and carving facets on lives of women in custodial institutions are the same ones impacting on women “outside” in varying degrees. Neglect, gender based discrimination, devalued status as persons, restricted mobility, limited autonomy, corroded decision-making authority, violence and threat of violence are real factors in the lives of women resulting in their marginalization.
In custodial institutions, women have no space to either vent rage or make peace. They have no avenues to explore for self worth. Inside, they oscillate between fear, anger, frustration and despair, their lives dependent on the approval of others.
The booklet divides the real life stories in two parts. The first deals with women in jails and the second with women in Darul Amans. Initially, the study was meant to span all custodial institutions, including mental institutions, but this was dropped for a number of reasons. Even in the case of the interviews in the jails, these were done usually under the supervision of the jail staff and those being interviewed were sometimes unable to bring our their true feelings or expressions.
Despite these limitations, the booklet has some really interesting stories to tell and all these only go to show how things have evolved for the womenfolk of Pakistan and the challenges that they face in their ordinary lives. Take the case of Farida who entered into an arranged marriage and was comfortable with her surroundings until she fell in love with a man who was not her husband. But while both restricted their relationship to nothing physical, the consequences for Farida were disastrous. When her first child died, she was told that this was the consequence of her bad character. She was jailed under the Hudood ordinance and has been in lock-up since then. Never mind her protests that she never entered into any extra-marital relationship and was faithful to her husband.
Then there is the case of Naseem Bibi who was sent to jail by her brother-in-law for not giving his wife’s share of the family fortune left behind by her grandmother. But when her brother-in-law took her to court, her evidence was put aside as the trial was conducted as a one-sided affair. Eventually Naseem Bibi was sent to jail for theft but in the ensuing months, her brother- in-law, who had defrauded her of her money, died in a car accident. Now Naseem Bibi looks forward to coming out of jail as lawyers say she has a strong case.
Then there is Raheela who stole from her employers so that her husband could pay off a loan he had taken for her medical treatment. She believes that the mistress of the house would have let her off but the master insisted on pressing charges as he had earlier made advances at her, which she had rejected. Raheela now languishes in prison and pines for the day she would be free to go and live with her family. Her husband manages the household and looks after their daughters in her absence.
The whole booklet contains similar stories, some with real, other with assumed names. It does, however, give one some feel of the lives people lead in poorer sections of society. It also illustrates in great detail the problems faced by women — and how they suffer as a result of an uncaring system coupled by discriminatory laws.
This is a booklet that should be read by all those who want to better the status of women in Pakistan. The manner of crimes conducted against some women in our society is so brutal that it is hard to even describe them. However, the only way to deal with these problems is to confront them. And this is what this booklet has attempted to do.
Trapped: Women in Custody
By Nazish Brohi, Sabeen Jatoi and Nigham Said
Action Aid Pakistan, GPO Box 2943, Islamabad
Tel: 051-2264689.
Email:
mail@actionaidpakistan.org
42pp. Price not listed
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