Screams kept haunting me the whole night, I said good night to my daughter with an extremely heavy heart. The morning was no better. The pain of literally being stripped off in public, bullying, physical abuse and molestation was getting unbearable. Dropped off my daughters to school wondering and questioning myself am I preparing them to face a society full of pack of wolves?
The working on sexual harassment write up came as the most disturbing and painful task. The incident at a political party’s gathering where women were sexually harassed in a barbaric manner, they were screaming out for help and the pack of wolves just wanted to scratch off their flesh, clothes and dignity. What came next were political statements; it was done by a rival party to scare off women, which might be true as well.
But that’s not the point, the point is women are targeted and as always subject of harassment. The political war of words cannot help out the traumatised females. One of the news channels’ female television reporter was harassed by people in front of television camera on the coverage of August 14 celebrations. On October 31, news broke that the federal Ombudsman has directed one of the top universities in Lahore to fire its faculty member, an associate professor. He was found guilty of sexual harassment. The professor insisted that it was just a pat on shoulder where as the CCTV footage showed clear evidence in that case.
Such incidents occurring at work place, educational institutions are not uncommon. The public place and transport is any woman’s nightmare. Deliberate touching, targeting private areas, catcalls and staring happens daily. A woman has to wipe off each and every scar from her memory every night before going to sleep.
Shopping at an open area market is not a luxury; still the unmarried girls prefer to go in groups as they can not take risk of going out all by themselves even in daytime. Public transport comes with the same torture on a daily basis where the driver makes all the young girls sit on the front seats next to him, cracking rubbish conversation.
Such incidents are always shared in whispers and sobs with friends only. The family’s reaction is holding the female responsible for such incidence. The entire social set up thinks like this. The dress code, timings of going out and the behaviour are always blamed for. One of the women working at a multinational requested not to disclose identity, told about the ongoing harassment she faces. Her saying no to the offers of lunch and coffee by her boss is taking a toll on her professional growth. This kind of harassment is known as ” quid pro quo” meaning “this for that”.
One male student had to upload a complaint to YouTube as otherwise wasn’t getting justice. He was forced by the headmaster to stay till late after school and was being continuously sexually harassed. Upon going to police, his admission was cancelled.
An eyewitness narrated how back in 1990’s in a concert at an open-air cultural complex a girl’s clothes were literally stripped off her by a mob of boys while police were a silent spectator. Few years back in the Lahore High Court’s courtroom a female lawyer was subjected to physical sexual abuse by her fellow colleagues.
Human watchdog have reported that 68% women are sexually harassed in Pakistan. If we consider constant stare, deliberate touching and explicit remarks then this harassment takes place everyday with every woman multiple times. In 2010 a bill titled “Protection against Harassment of Women at Workplace Act” was passed. The bill clearly outlines procedure for holding penalties for minor and major reprimands. But will this bill protect female fraternity from all the abuses taking place at roads, markets, public gatherings and bus stops. A public awareness campaign, a special force to safeguard women and strict punishments in case of harassment will be a barrier to this animalistic practice. In UK, a corporate employee narrated how she sued her boss for engaging her in extensive travelling after her daughter’s birth .He wanted her to leave the job so he used such tactics to manipulate her situation but She won the case against him.
Harassment takes place everywhere but its handling makes the difference.
The Uber is now teaching its drivers in Pakistan a very important lesson, which is how to avoid sexually harassing female passengers. It is an extremely praiseworthy act, needs to be followed by our institutions and government at public level. It has to become part of our conversation in the basic education. Teaching self-defence to girls should be mandatory. Self-defence tools such as pepper spray and etc should be in bags.
It is extremely high time when civil rights; children and women rights need to be part of our basic education since early classes. Gone are the days of teaching outdated social studies book. Without the formation of civil society, the paper society existing in schoolbooks only will lead to state of anomie.
The writer is a children’s right activist and a former educationist
