But is that Mai's only claim to fame? Should we be proud of her singular achievement or hang our heads in shame whenever her name comes up. In Pakistan where victims of rape often commit suicide or are banished by the 'biradari' for a crime they did not commit, Mukhtaran Mai successfully challenged her tormentors in court. She won international recognition for her courage and later married to disprove that rape victims cannot find a suitor.

Rape is a common but grossly underreported crime because of the stigma attached to the victim. General Ziaul Haq introduced the Hudood Ordinances to make it difficult, if not impossible, to punish a rapist. For a rapist to receive “hadd”, the maximum punishment provided under Sharia, either the rapist must confess to the rape or “four pious, adult Muslim men must be witness to the despicable act and testify in court.”

If the victim does not have the witnesses the case is thrown out. The perpetuator(s) are acquitted and the victim may face charges of adultery. An orphaned 13-year-old girl, Jehan Mina, was allegedly raped by her uncle and his sons but she could not provide enough evidence to prove her case. Her pregnancy was treated as evidence of adultery and the child of tender age was given 100 lashes as punishment. In another case, a near-blind domestic servant, Safia Bibi, was raped by her employer and his son, but for lack of evidence the rapists went scot-free while the blind girl was punished for adultery.

Violence against women is symptomatic of the steady brutalisation of Pakistani society. Between April and June last year 122 cases of women being burnt in Lahore alone were reported. Forty of them died. In 2008 two women were buried alive and a sitting member of parliament defended the act as 'tribal custom'; all this shows how endemic violence against women has become.

A study of households reveals that domestic violence occurs in the form of beatings, sexual abuse or torture, mutilation and attacks, even burning of women. According to a survey by Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences, over 90 per cent of married women surveyed had been kicked, slapped, beaten or sexually abused when husbands were dissatisfied with their cooking, cleaning or when they did not bear a child. What is less known is that impotence is usually a problem with the male which is cleverly hidden behind aggressive and arrogant behaviour towards the wife.

Domestic violence is often not even considered a crime. The police and the judges often tend to treat it as a family dispute. Police refuse to register cases unless there are obvious signs of injury, and a judge may find his sympathies on the side of the aggressor. The CPLC too prefers to play a conciliatory role in such circumstances instead of bringing the aggressor to book. Treating violence, including domestic violence, as cognisable crime could give protection to victims.

Besides physical suppression, male chauvinism in society also prevents women from becoming economically independent; many remain hopelessly dependent on their husbands while the latter enjoy the 'services' of a free maid for looking after their family. Many companies also show gender discrimination by offering lower pay to women.

Numerous young women doctors and marketing executives are prevented from working by their in-laws because their jobs require long hours or involve interaction with men. It is necessary that a society that concerns itself with the good of humankind should also be concerned with the welfare, rights and progress of women. Recognition of a few brave, committed and dedicated women like Mukhtaran Mai by foreign institutions shows how their counterparts in Pakistan still live in the dark ages.