THE political arena is all active these days as political parties have started campa- igning for the forthcoming elections. This is the right time to question their manifestos, among other things, on the issue of gender inclusivity. Feminism is generally considered undesirable for Pakistanis. This is simply because of lack of proper understating of the phenomenon.

Women have rights even if the matter is misunderstood, under-represented and disregarded in Pakistan. The people in Pakistan need to be aware that being a feminist does not mean you do not follow the religion, or are anti-men.

The purpose is to simply make the lives of women around the world a lot easier than they are now, and to uplift their status as equal citizens. It is to understand the impact of patriarchy on women, gender-diverse people as well as men, and to decode the repercussions of the patriarchal system of a larger formation of societal values that are not human-friendly, and actually facilitate divisions and injustice.

It is important to acknowledge that the inclusion of strong feminist pers- pectives in policymaking is often compromised, resulting in decisions that rarely remain unbiased. Also, the long delays, heavy costs of litigation and mostly patriarchal justice system together keep women from getting their rights despite the laws supporting them.

From the judiciary to the representing council, there is a dire need for gender sensitisation to become a part and parcel of legal education to make access to justice fairer and accessible for all. It is imperative to raise concern about the lack of implementation of women-specific laws that have been passed. Laws lack effectiveness if they are not implemented.

Policy mechanisms must facilitate the intersectionality of gender in housing, climate change, political and civic participation through a broader access to justice and equitable citizenship for one and all. Politicians need to talk about it.

Romasa Jami
Hyderabad

Published in Dawn, January 20th, 2024