HYDERABAD, Aug 6: Women constitute almost half of the Pakistani population and endowed equal rights in the constitution but they face discrimination on the grounds of gender, District Chief of All Pakistan Women Association (Apwa), Begum Almas Zafar said here on Monday.

Traditional society, cultural norms and social set-up make women dependent on men who take undue advantage of their position and propagate male chauvinism, she maintained.

She called for creating awareness among women about their rights as enshrined in the international charter.

Ms Almas Zafar termed violence against women an everyday reality because it was either denied or condoned and used as a tool to control them adding the practice was so prevalent that these poor souls accept it as a “fait accompli.”

She criticised role of police as lack of confidence makes majority of women refrain from reporting violence while calling for implementation of law that can guarantee them rights.

“Women being weaker segment of the society especially in rural areas were deprived of their basic rights while remaining target of criminal attempts,” Almas Zafar contended.

She called for creating awareness among them to prevent crimes and regretted the inhuman attitude they face in police custody and prisons.

She said domestic violence was against norms of Islam as religion does not allow anyone to usurp the rights of the weak.

The government initiated number of steps to protect their rights which requires both men and women to carryout their responsibilities for progress and prosperity, she insisted.

Today’s woman knows the responsibilities and engages herself in practical life she said and added the government desires encouragement to the 50 per cent population by providing them maximum relief.

Begum Almas Zafar asked the print and electronic media to play their role in creating awareness to protect them from the domestic violence. The government was vying to see an improvement in literacy rate, particularly among women, she said.—APP