Despite some little progress, women in
Balochistan are still a very long way from equality.
International Women’s Day made headlines
throughout the Pakistan long before March 8, and this time Balochistan was not
lagging behind. My WhatsApp groups were flooded with debates. Some demanded
that Baloch women should not fall prey to all those “nasty” slogans – meaning
calls for women’s rights, as seen in the annual Aurat March — while others called
attention to historic stories that supposedly prove how “equal” Baloch culture
and society have always been. Still others cited figures showing more women in
the workforce and higher literacy rates than ever before.
But all this seemed overly
self-congratulatory. There are definitely more Baloch women being educated and
joining the workforce than ever before, but that is still a very small portion
of their overall population. And in most of the traditional Balochi folklore,
women hardly had a say — they conformed to what was decided for them by male members
of the community. Hani, a famous character from one Baloch story, was forced
married to Meer Chakar, the tribal leader. Mahnaz was accused of adultery and
had to prove she wasn’t guilty. Sammul, an already married woman, had to listen
to Mast Tawakali — and a man honored today as Sufi poet of Balochistan – sing
poems for her without her consent. Sammul had to put up with that “tribute”
until she died.
If still there are those who think Baloch
society had always been equal, we must have moved backwards then. Often with
time, societies move forward and become more progressive but there are also
societies that go backwards with time and become more conservative. Is
Balochistan one of them?
The fact that these WhatsApp groups may only
have three or four women out of more than hundred members makes it easier to
understand why such assumptions are being forced. It is just one small example
of how women are all-but-invisible in society.
When a few young progressive Baloch women took
to Twitter, posting #WhyWeMarch on International Women’s Day, a lot of comments
and replies claimed that these are not “real” issues of women. If those
complaints can’t be taken as “real,” let’s turn to the data to see the “real”
story. The sad truth is that gender parity still remains out of reach in
Balochistan and a conversation on gender equality is important.
7 in 10
Seven out of 10 women and girls around
Balochistan province have never been to school according to the Pakistan Social and Living Standard Measurement Survey.
That number has hardly changed over the years.
In a closely related statistic, only 18 percent of the total women in
Balochistan are literate. The 82 percent illiteracy rate among women is the
largest proportion in the country. A lack of schools in most areas and cultural
beliefs prevent girls from getting an education. That in turn prevents their
economic empowerment throughout the province.
Female labor force participation in
Balochistan is only 5.06 percent of the total population of women in the
province, again the lowest rate in Pakistan (compared to 15 percent in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa, 55 percent in Punjab, and 24 percent in Sindh). That doesn’t
necessarily mean that these women do not contribute to the household, but
unfortunately most of the work they do is unpaid labor.
Paid labor empowers women economically, which
directly impacts their social status. In Balochistan where female labor force
participation is among the lowest in the world, women’s status has remained
unchanged for decades.
18 Percent
In a closely related statistic, only 18 percent of the total women in Balochistan are literate. The 82 percent illiteracy rate among women is the largest proportion in the country. A lack of schools in most areas and cultural beliefs prevent girls from getting an education. That in turn prevents their economic empowerment throughout the province.
5.06 Percent
Female labor force participation in Balochistan is only 5.06 percent of the total population of women in the province, again the lowest rate in Pakistan (compared to 15 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 55 percent in Punjab, and 24 percent in Sindh). That doesn’t necessarily mean that these women do not contribute to the household, but unfortunately most of the work they do is unpaid labor.
Paid labor empowers women economically, which directly impacts their social status. In Balochistan where female labor force participation is among the lowest in the world, women’s status has remained unchanged for decades.
6 in 10
With few alternatives, nearly six in 10 women
and girls alive today in Balochistan married before the age of 20 — the highest
percentage of early marriage out of all of Pakistan’s provinces. According to
experts, early marriages can be a result of illiteracy, poverty, and
traditional practices – all of which dominate Balochistan. The discrepancy
between the genders is stark: 56 percent of girls are married before they turn
20 compared to just 9 percent of boys.
Child marriages are criminalized in Sindh and
Punjab already. In 2018, under the last provincial government, lawmaker Dr.
Shama Ishaq presented a bill to outlaw this practice in Balochistan as well but
it went unentertained by most (male) members. Current women members of the
assembly say that this bill remains in notice but is still controversial
because of some conservative parties.
16 percent
Speaking of the provincial assembly, its
portion of female representation in is abysmal. In the last assembly this
number was slightly higher, although still low at 20 percent. But after the
2018 elections, it dropped to just 16 percent. Currently, out of 65 members
only 11 are women. There are no elected female members and no women in
the provincial
cabinet. Women-centered issues are therefore hardly discussed
or prioritized.
These issues can cost women in Balochistan
their lives.
785 out of 100, 000
About 785 out of 100, 000 women die
giving birth in Balochistan, as compared to 272 in the rest of
Pakistan. Women in Balochistan hardly have access to family planning and
antenatal care. Most of women are likely to give birth without a doctor or even
a trained birth attendant. It is believed that accurate maternal mortality
rates are not made public in Pakistan, so the number of deaths is likely to be
underreported. Women’s healthcare has never been a priority for the government
authorities and therefore most districts of Balochistan province, including the
capital, do not have adequate healthcare services to reduce maternal
mortalities.
1000
In addition, at least 1,000 women are murdered annually in Pakistan for having “dishonored” their families, accounting for 20 percent of global honor killings. In 2018, out of 50 people killed in Balochistan in the name of honor, 30 were women. Even that is likely understating the true death toll, because honor killings are hardly reported in Balochistan. The fact that women have been murdered for centuries for “dishonoring” their families is often denied but the issue does exist. Unfortunately it is widely practiced to this day.
Social media battles and debates in the provincial assembly continue even while these statistics show the disturbing condition of women in Balochistan province. There is a deep misogyny running in the society – even if that fact is not accepted by most.
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