Women Rights in Pakistan

In Pakistan, females are viewed as equivalent under the dual system of the sharia and civil laws. Gender discrimination is also outlawed on all levels in the religious practices through the Constitution of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan. However, women are faced with significant difficulties in the economy and the society (Croffie, 2015). Consequently, they face a moderate lower courts legal framework in attaining justice. The paper seeks to describe the contributing factors that influenced the violation of the rights of women in Pakistan.

Relevant of Women Right’s in 2014 - 2016

The topic of women’s rights in Pakistan was most relevant in 2015.  According to the 2015 World Reports on Human Rights, women’s and girls’ rights are key issues. In particular, female students were deemed prone to violence in the form of sexual harassment which affected their education. For example, Malala Yousafzai, the seventeen year student, was a victim of a rape attack, where the attacker was taken behind bars. Conversely, violence against women through domestic violence, forced marriages, murder and acid attacks were prevalent. According to the Pakistan Human Rights NGOs, around 1,000 women become victims of honor killing.

Those Affected by the Topic

Women in religious minorities are the most affected by the topic since they are susceptible to violence in the form of forced marriages. In particular, Movement for Solidarity and Peace (MSP) in Pakistan counts approximately 1,000 people belonging to the Christian and Hindu movements who are coerced to marry Muslims (Croffie, 2015).

Effects of Social Class and Stratification on Women’s Rights

Social class and stratification have significantly contributed to the gender inequality and violations of human rights in Pakistan. For instance, the social values and traditional roots are used as the factors needed for determining the gender roles. Around 50% of the women in Pakistan have not attained basic education since most of them are confined in homes to carry out the household. Apparently, women are not consulted in decision making. Consequently, it is difficult for women to make any progress due to the fact that very few can raise some income while others depend on their husbands. Regarding social status, females in urbanized areas are in a better position to obtain education as compared to those living in the countryside where families have low income. Moreover, the perception of the society about the women prompted gender inequality. For instance, a real woman is considered to carry out all the house chores and take care of the husband; consequently, education levels are not vital in such a situation. Pakistan women also perceive that the husbands own them, and they are their rulers (Croffie, 2015). Thus, to perform any activities women had to consult their husbands. Lastly, there are very few women in the workplaces due to increased employment discrimination and low literacy levels.

Projects Addressing Women’s Rights in Pakistan

To realize gender equality in Pakistan, many projects addressing women rights in Pakistan have been developed. For example, the United Nations Entity for Gender Equality and Empowerment of women was established by Muniba. In fact, this project focuses on economic security, freedom from violence and political participation as initiatives to uphold women rights (Croffie, 2015).  Beijing Platform for Action on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination against women is another project that has been adopted to enhance and advocate for women rights.

Reasons for Choosing to Discuss Women’s Rights in Pakistan

The topic of women rights is a global issue that concentrates on almost similar aspects. However, Pakistan has had unending issues on addressing the issue to ensure equality in the nation. As such, this triggered the interests to ascertain the factors hindering the development of women rights policies.

Effects of Attaining Ideas on Women’s Rights in Pakistan

Learning about the topic has affected my ideas since the issues on women discrimination in Pakistan have a different reasoning as compared to ones who have limited information. My position that changed since learning more about the topic include cultural and religious beliefs which are the stumbling block towards eradicating women violation and discrimination.

Conclusion

In conclusion, the gender discrimination has been brought out as one of the outlawed vices in the Pakistan Constitution. According to the World Reports on Human Rights, women right’s in Pakistan was most relevant in 2015. As such, the topic in question has affected women in religious minority; hence, bringing about effects on social class and stratification. As a result, the need arises for projects to address the issue, discuss, and attain ideas on women’s rights in Pakistan.