GENDER EQUALITY IS A MYTH

A school of thought believes there is no discrimination on the basis of gender in

the world, so no need to talk about gender inequality because no one’s rights are
being violated. These people, to solidify their point, provide some examples like
Article 25(2) of the Constitution of Pakistan, 1973, which guarantees that “There
shall be no discrimination on the basis of sex,” and thus safeguards women’s
rights. They also put up the examples of women leaders like Fatima Jinnah, Benazir
Bhutto, Dr Fehmida Mirza, et al, as women’s active participation in politics.
Nonetheless, in reality, gender equality is a myth. We have made laws, but have not
implemented them properly. Women’s participation in all activities of life is limited.
Almost everywhere there is discrimination on the basis of gender. Rights of each
gender being infringed and violated.
Females make more than 50 percent of the population of Pakistan. However, by not
providing them the opportunities — and facilities — to participate in all sectors of life, we
have failed to cash in on the talents and skills of a major chunk of our population and it
has resulted in huge economic losses.

However, it is important to note that the problem of gender inequality has plagued not
only Pakistan but almost every part of the world. Males, females, eunuchs; all genders
are facing inequality all around the world. This burning issue must be resolved as early
as possible in the light of the United Nations Declaration of Human Rights (UNDHR) the
Article 2 of which asserts that “Everyone is entitled to all the rights and freedoms set forth
in this Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour, sex, language,
religion, political or other opinion, national or social origin, property, birth or other status.”

Before analyzing the issue of gender inequality in detail, it seems suitable to know as to
what gender equality actually is. Generally, gender equality is considered the provision of
rights only to females only, but in actuality, it is achieved when women and men enjoy the
same rights and opportunities across all sectors of society, including economic
participation and decision-making, and when the different behaviours, aspirations and
needs of women and men are equally valued and favoured.
Ours is a patriarchal society and males are dominant here in almost all fields of life. But,
there rights, too, are violated and they face discrimination — though its ratio is meagre. It
is often observed that while numerous men have queued up in order to get something —
for instance, a ticket — a female comes and gets that before them; bypassing all the
males who have been waiting for their turn for many hours. Although it is considered an
act of courtesy in our society, yet this is violation of males’ rights.

Moreover, in public sector as well as private sector, women not only have quota but some
positions like office assistant, personal secretary, receptionist, etc., are also almost every
time offered only to females. It’s also a common observation in many offices that men
share the most part of the work burden.

To present the other side of the story, it is pertinent to mention that mostly females are
the victims of the violation of their rights.
In Pakistan, we often read news about the instances of vani, an ugly tradition where young
women are traded between families in resolution of a dispute; swara, a deplorable
practice under which minor girls are given away in marriage to the enemy’s family as a
symbol of ‘lasting and effective’ peace between two disputing parties, etc., which means
that girls are treated like a commodity. Moreover, in our common households, boys are
given preference over girls in terms of provision of basic necessities of life. Unequal
treatment of boys and girls can be seen in almost every facet of life. For instance, it is
rampant in terms of provision of food as well as education; if a son wants to go for an
outing with his friends, he is encouraged to do so. But, if similar wish is expressed by a
daughter, she would be snubbed and would not be allowed owing to “traditions” of the
society. Domestic violence is also ubiquitous in Pakistan and the findings of Pakistan
Demographic and Health Survey (PDHS) speak volumes about this fact. The PDHS has
found that 43 percent of women and 35 percent of men in Pakistan deem it absolutely
justified if a husband inflicts violence on his wife in case she argues with him.

The cancer of honour killings has also been rampant in Pakistan as according to a report
by Aurat Foundation around 1,000 women and to another one by the Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) around 900 women annually are killed in the name of
honour in Pakistan; let alone the actual figure which must be much higher than those
reported because these organizations collect data only from newspapers and other like
sources.

The chronically dejected class, which consists of transgenders or eunuchs, is the most
vulnerable in our society. As per the findings of a recent survey, 60 percent of the people
of Pakistan do not want to befriend the eunuchs; only 14 percent replied in affirmative.
The birth of a eunuch is considered not less than a torment. Most families virtually
abandon them and leave them on the mercy of the fate. Resultantly, most of them end up
being a beggar, a street singer or a dancer. They are even denied their right to inherit as
they are not given proper share in the property left by their parents. Besides this inhumane
treatment, almost all families don’t want to send them to schools and colleges for getting
education. And, if they howsoever successfully get education, then jobs are not offered
to them despite possessing the qualities required to perform the job effectively and
efficiently.

Although it was like a whiff of fresh air when in 2012, the Supreme Court of Pakistan (SC)
ruled that eunuchs be given equal rights as any other citizen of the country, yet the
situation on ground is still far from satisfactory. We need to recognize that eunuchs are
not less talented than the individuals belonging to other genders. Hardly would have
anyone known that Cai Lun, a Han dynasty Chinese official who is traditionally regarded
as the inventor of paper and the papermaking process was a eunuch.

In India, the transgenders or eunuchs are constitutionally a third category of gender, and
the Indian government has taken steps in order to uplift them from social backwardness
and to bring them into society’s mainstream.
When it comes to civil services of Pakistan, a 10 percent quota is reserved for females.
At provincial level, also, women have a specific quota in provincial government services;
for instance, it is 15 percent in Punjab, 7 percent in Sindh, 5 percent in Balochistan and
10 percent in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. But, when it comes to shemales or transgenders,
mum’s the word.

In private sector educational institutions and business concerns, the situation is appalling.
In this sector, males are offered more salaries than the female counterparts. Mostly,
females are offered a job to work as a showpiece while sitting on the front desk of the
office. They are mostly given jobs as telephone operator or personal secretary. It is
another form of discrimination which should be avoided and a culture of meritocracy
should be promoted instead.

When it comes to the Armed Forces of Pakistan, we see that there are only 4000 females
among 617,000 active personnel. There number is really scant and it should be increased
to encourage more and more women to join the armed forces. After independence, an
attempt of introducing combat training programme in Pakistan armed forces was made
by Begum Ra’ana Liaquat Ali Khan; but her attempt was foiled by General Frank Walter
Messervy — First Commander-in-Chief of Pakistan Army from 15 August 1947 to 10
February 1948. In 1949, the first lady took personal initiatives and established her own
Pakistan Army Women National Guard (WNG) with few combat courses. The unit’s first
GOC and chief controller was Begum Ra’ana, with the rank of a Brigadier. After a long
struggle, in 2002, Ms Shahida Malik became the first female officer to reach the rank of
Major General in Pak Army.

On 14th July 2014, 24 female officers of Pakistan Army successfully completed a

paratroopers’ course, becoming the first group of women to do so in Pakistan military
history and proved that females are not less competent than males; they can do
everything, if they are provided proper facilities.

Prior to this, in 2003, Pakistan Air Force had inducted the first batch of women as general
duty pilots which joined the combat services of PAF in 2006.

In terms of women’s participation in country’s legislative business, we find that out of 342
seats in the National Assembly of Pakistan, only 60 have been reserved for women —
not a single one for the third gender. After brief study of the parliaments of other countries,
it dawns on us that not only Pakistan’s but almost every parliament in the world is male-
dominated. How ironic it is that the absolute authority to making laws on women rights
lies in the hands of men!

The Global Gender Gap Report 2015, launched by the Davos-based World Economic
Forum, ranked Pakistan at 144th position among 145 countries. This shows our
seriousness in eradication of gender inequality in Pakistan.

It’s common observation even in this modern era that after an ultrasound of a pregnant
woman, if it is found that the baby would be a girl, many a time the mother is made to go
through abortion. But, if the foetus is of a male, then that woman is treated like a princess
or a queen.

Even in a country like United States of America, which boasts to be the world’s lone
superpower and the torchbearer of human rights, all the presidents had been males. No
woman has ever been provided an opportunity to lead the country.

The same situation is with the United Nations. All of the eight secretaries-general of the
UN — the last being Ban Ki-moon in the list — were males; no woman has ever been
elected to this coveted post.

In the Muslim world, the situation is not much different. For instance, in Saudi Arabia
gender inequality prevails as women were not allowed to drive cars for a long time.
However, a campaign in 2011 had done a little and some women are now allowed to drive
cars and they are being issued driving licenses.

In a nutshell, gender inequality has permeated the world and it is right to say that ‘gender
equality is a myth’. However, if the abovementioned issues are resolved, this myth can
be broken. It is the only way to promote gender equality because it is a prerequisite that
must be fulfilled if a country wants to tread the path that leads to development and
prosperity.

It is opportune to conclude the above discussion in the words of former UN Secretary-

General Kofi Annan who once said, “Gender equality is more than a goal in itself. It is a
precondition for meeting the challenge of reducing poverty, promoting sustainable
development and building good governance.”

The challenge of gender inequality

Despite the government’s commitments on gender equality, Pakistan’s ranking for gender
equality remains one of the lowest in the world. Global Gender Gap Report 2015 ranks
Pakistan at 143 out of 145 countries on women’s economic participation. 45.6 per cent of
the Pakistani population is living below the poverty line. Women’s labour force
participation is very low at 26 per cent excluding their informal work that is the key poverty
mitigating strategy for poor households. Women informal workers are largely illiterate and
lack financial independence. Violence against women is widespread in the country and
32 per cent married women experience physical violence.

Women employed in formal work in Pakistan face issues in travelling to work safely.
Workplaces are generally not women-friendly. The organisations need to ensure that the
workplaces are free of harassment and women workers have access to daycare facility.
Women don’t have access to training opportunities to elevate to higher levels of work.
Poor representation in terms of numbers and skills of women in trade unions leads to
women having no collective voice for their rights. Labour inspection doesn’t capture
gender dimensions of work adequately and therefore measure to address is missed.
There are not enough women in mid management positions. Generally, the decision
makers in private sector companies are not gender sensitive.

In Pakistan, social vulnerability juxtaposed with economic vulnerability keeps women

underpaid and overworked, even when they overcome structural and social barriers to
seek employment. The near invisibility of women in micro and macroeconomic policies
compounds the issue, as the different initiatives of the federal and provincial governments
are aimed more at income generation than bringing women into the economic
mainstream. The situation warrants a deeper analysis of the data, and this report is an
attempt to provide some detail to the twenty-six per cent of women recorded in the labour
force in Pakistan.

The fears and reservations remained uniform for women of all ages. They
feared snatching of their belongings while commuting by public
transportation.
Homeworkers produce goods and services for both global and domestic supply chains.
Under the most common sub-contracting arrangement, the homeworkers provide the
workplace, pay for utilities, and buy/rent and maintain their own equipment. The
contractors provide the work orders and raw materials, specify the product/s to be made,
and sell the finished goods, or supply them to firms further up the chain. In most cases,
the homeworker goes to the contractor to receive raw materials/deliver finished goods. In
a few cases, the homeworker is herself a sub-contractor who splits the order and raw
materials that she receives among other women in her neighbourhood.

Also, some sub-contracted homeworkers work together in groups: either in one woman’s
home or in a common space within their neighbourhood. Whatever the arrangement,
many homeworkers have limited knowledge of the markets and prices for raw materials
and finished goods because they do not deal in these markets.

Most homeworkers are paid by the piece and the piece-rates remain very low — far less
on average than what factory workers in the same supply chains are paid. Moreover,
unlike factory workers, homeworkers have to cover many of the non-wage costs of
production (workplace, equipment, utilities, transport) and absorb many of the risks of
production (delayed or cancelled orders, unreliable supply of raw materials, delayed
payments, rejected goods). A recent study in three Asian cities found that transport
represents one third of the operating costs of home-based workers. Also, homeworkers
do not receive the worker benefits that some factory workers receive.

Similarly, domestic work is part of the huge informal sector in Pakistan. There are no clear
estimates of the total number of domestic workers in the country, however, according to
a study, every fourth household in the country hires domestic workers and majority of
these workers are women (especially children). Moreover, according to an ILO study,
around 4-10 per cent of total employment in developing countries is in the domestic work
sector. Domestic work employs a large part of women workers. It is a widely held notion
that the working conditions for women in informal sectors are not conducive. They are
exploited and often paid less than their male counterparts.

Domestic workers face a wide range of human rights violations, excessive working hours,
physical and sexual abuse. The work-safety and social security benefits should be given
to the labourers as per the ILO standards, but the domestic workers, especially the
women in Pakistan, are the most disadvantaged and exploited groups. At least 62 per
cent of the children engaged in domestic jobs are girls, shows a study conducted recently
by a local NGO under its rapid assessment project covering Islamabad and the four
provincial capitals.

For decades, domestic workers in Pakistan were the most exploited among all workers,
toiling long hours for meager pay and performing unappreciated tasks. These female
domestic workers are mostly found working in the homes of the middle and upper class.
They are relegated to the position of second-class workers, suffering exploitation and
frequent abuse. Living in private homes, these workers are isolated and completely
dependent on the people paying their wages. They are expected to perform menial work
in accordance with strict rules and to suffer the consequences of straying from those
rules.

Individually, there are many domestic employers that are charitable towards their
domestic employees, providing them food and clothing and helping them educate their
children. However, when it comes to their well-being as employees, domestic employers
avoid issuing formal job contracts. The reason behind this being that domestic employers
do not want these workers to become aware of their rights, as they fear this awareness
may encourage employee resistance.

Along with a magnitude of problems/issues which domestic workers face, the key
challenge is the unawareness of their rights. With the growing realisation that domestic
workers do not have access to their rights and entitlements, there is a need for recognition
of domestic workers as registered labourers under the existing labour laws. They must
be granted rights such as minimum wage, social security cover, safe and healthy working
environment. Given the above context, there is increasing need for working towards the
formalising of the informal domestic work sector in Pakistan.

In the pursuit of sustainable development and poverty reduction a critical challenge is to

find a new balance between economic goals and the social protection of the world. Indeed
economic growth is necessary for the advancement of human well-being. However, new
approaches to economic growth must be based on new understanding of the vital role
that a healthy, literate and secure society must play in creating conditions for economic
progress.

The recent massive transit options introduced in Lahore have left us with a question as
how the public transport is supporting the women who are moving daily and using the
local transportation for meeting their day to day needs. How safe these public transports
are for women to travel daily and, above all, are these means meeting the needs of
women despite the fact that high proportion of budget is being invested.

Meeting few women who daily commute for work and use different means of
transportation reported that they mostly take three wheelers from their homes or streets
which are easier. They don’t use metros as the routes are not suitable. Though rickshaw
rides are unsafe, women regularly use them.

The fears and reservations remained uniform for women of all ages. They feared
snatching of their belongings while commuting by public transportation. For the metro bus
rides, the limited space available for female passenger was an issue. In addition to this,
all women reported being stared at by men on streets or in buses, at some point during
their commute.

Discrimination against the Female Gender:

Despite the government’s commitments on gender equality, Pakistan’s ranking for gender
equality remains one of the lowest in the world. Global Gender Gap Report 2015 ranks
Pakistan at 143 out of 145 countries on women’s economic participation. 45.6 per cent of
the Pakistani population is living below the poverty line. Women’s labour force
participation is very low at 26 per cent excluding their informal work that is the key poverty
mitigating strategy for poor households. Women informal workers are largely illiterate and
lack financial independence. Violence against women is widespread in the country and
32 per cent married women experience physical violence.

Women employed in formal work in Pakistan face issues in travelling to work safely.
Workplaces are generally not women-friendly. The organisations need to ensure that the
workplaces are free of harassment and women workers have access to daycare facility.
Women don’t have access to training opportunities to elevate to higher levels of work.
Poor representation in terms of numbers and skills of women in trade unions leads to
women having no collective voice for their rights. Labour inspection doesn’t capture
gender dimensions of work adequately and therefore measure to address is missed.
There are not enough women in mid management positions. Generally, the decision
makers in private sector companies are not gender sensitive.

In Pakistan, social vulnerability juxtaposed with economic vulnerability keeps women

underpaid and overworked, even when they overcome structural and social barriers to
seek employment. The near invisibility of women in micro and macroeconomic policies
compounds the issue, as the different initiatives of the federal and provincial governments
are aimed more at income generation than bringing women into the economic
mainstream. The situation warrants a deeper analysis of the data, and this report is an
attempt to provide some detail to the twenty-six per cent of women recorded in the labour
force in Pakistan.
The fears and reservations remained uniform for women of all ages. They
feared snatching of their belongings while commuting by public
transportation.
Homeworkers produce goods and services for both global and domestic supply chains.
Under the most common sub-contracting arrangement, the homeworkers provide the
workplace, pay for utilities, and buy/rent and maintain their own equipment. The
contractors provide the work orders and raw materials, specify the product/s to be made,
and sell the finished goods, or supply them to firms further up the chain. In most cases,
the homeworker goes to the contractor to receive raw materials/deliver finished goods. In
a few cases, the homeworker is herself a sub-contractor who splits the order and raw
materials that she receives among other women in her neighbourhood.

Also, some sub-contracted homeworkers work together in groups: either in one woman’s
home or in a common space within their neighbourhood. Whatever the arrangement,
many homeworkers have limited knowledge of the markets and prices for raw materials
and finished goods because they do not deal in these markets.

Most homeworkers are paid by the piece and the piece-rates remain very low — far less
on average than what factory workers in the same supply chains are paid. Moreover,
unlike factory workers, homeworkers have to cover many of the non-wage costs of
production (workplace, equipment, utilities, transport) and absorb many of the risks of
production (delayed or cancelled orders, unreliable supply of raw materials, delayed
payments, rejected goods). A recent study in three Asian cities found that transport
represents one third of the operating costs of home-based workers. Also, homeworkers
do not receive the worker benefits that some factory workers receive.

Similarly, domestic work is part of the huge informal sector in Pakistan. There are no clear
estimates of the total number of domestic workers in the country, however, according to
a study, every fourth household in the country hires domestic workers and majority of
these workers are women (especially children). Moreover, according to an ILO study,
around 4-10 per cent of total employment in developing countries is in the domestic work
sector. Domestic work employs a large part of women workers. It is a widely held notion
that the working conditions for women in informal sectors are not conducive. They are
exploited and often paid less than their male counterparts.

Domestic workers face a wide range of human rights violations, excessive working hours,
physical and sexual abuse. The work-safety and social security benefits should be given
to the labourers as per the ILO standards, but the domestic workers, especially the
women in Pakistan, are the most disadvantaged and exploited groups. At least 62 per
cent of the children engaged in domestic jobs are girls, shows a study conducted recently
by a local NGO under its rapid assessment project covering Islamabad and the four
provincial capitals.
For decades, domestic workers in Pakistan were the most exploited among all workers,
toiling long hours for meager pay and performing unappreciated tasks. These female
domestic workers are mostly found working in the homes of the middle and upper class.
They are relegated to the position of second-class workers, suffering exploitation and
frequent abuse. Living in private homes, these workers are isolated and completely
dependent on the people paying their wages. They are expected to perform menial work
in accordance with strict rules and to suffer the consequences of straying from those
rules.

Individually, there are many domestic employers that are charitable towards their
domestic employees, providing them food and clothing and helping them educate their
children. However, when it comes to their well-being as employees, domestic employers
avoid issuing formal job contracts. The reason behind this being that domestic employers
do not want these workers to become aware of their rights, as they fear this awareness
may encourage employee resistance.

Along with a magnitude of problems/issues which domestic workers face, the key
challenge is the unawareness of their rights. With the growing realisation that domestic
workers do not have access to their rights and entitlements, there is a need for recognition
of domestic workers as registered labourers under the existing labour laws. They must
be granted rights such as minimum wage, social security cover, safe and healthy working
environment. Given the above context, there is increasing need for working towards the
formalising of the informal domestic work sector in Pakistan.

In the pursuit of sustainable development and poverty reduction a critical challenge is to

find a new balance between economic goals and the social protection of the world. Indeed
economic growth is necessary for the advancement of human well-being. However, new
approaches to economic growth must be based on new understanding of the vital role
that a healthy, literate and secure society must play in creating conditions for economic
progress.

The recent massive transit options introduced in Lahore have left us with a question as
how the public transport is supporting the women who are moving daily and using the
local transportation for meeting their day to day needs. How safe these public transports
are for women to travel daily and, above all, are these means meeting the needs of
women despite the fact that high proportion of budget is being invested.

Meeting few women who daily commute for work and use different means of
transportation reported that they mostly take three wheelers from their homes or streets
which are easier. They don’t use metros as the routes are not suitable. Though rickshaw
rides are unsafe, women regularly use them.

The fears and reservations remained uniform for women of all ages. They feared
snatching of their belongings while commuting by public transportation. For the metro bus
rides, the limited space available for female passenger was an issue. In addition to this,
all women reported being stared at by men on streets or in buses, at some point during
their commute.

Transgenders’ Rights in Pakistan Still a long way

to go
Written by: JWT Desk on February 7, 2017.

The worst feeling a human can ever face is being helpless and worthless.
This is precisely what the trans-genders in Pakistan feel with the unjust
treatment they are meted out by the society. Transgenders, in Pakistan, and
the region at large, are rarely respected and most of them lead lives of
abuse, violence, exploitation and misery. Ironically, they are viewed as
ostracised as they have to face a lot of discrimination. These are the same
people whose existence in Asia dates back more than 4000 years and who
appeared in ancient texts as bearers of fortune and fertility, but in today’s
so-called modern society, they are ridiculed. Our mental blocks do not
allow us to think about them beyond what we see at traffic signals. Now
there is a dire need to counter the old traditions and fight for the rights of
this under-privileged yet neglected community.

One of the most vulnerable and marginalised communities in Pakistan is that of the
transgenders, sometimes narrowly referred to as hijras or khwaja siras, as these human
beings enjoy the least amount of respect in Pakistan. Due to the repressive societal
mindset, or more rightly some taboos, the subject of transgenders’ rights is not discussed
in our country. Recent events have proven that Pakistan is failing to secure the basic
rights of this group of people. The transgender people are harassed and discriminated in
every field of life. Pakistani society and government systems inhibit them from getting
various jobs and educational institutions do also not provide them with education. When
it comes to rights or issues for men and women, laws are countless, but on the rights and
issues of the transgender community, mum’s the word.
Transgenders are often subjected to violence in Pakistan. Those not killed or tortured are
forced to live in wretched social conditions, are often disowned by family members, and
struggle to find employment or any recognition of their basic human rights. The
discrimination that starts from an early abandonment by members of family continues to
disparage the lives of Pakistani transgenders in the form of brutal mockery at the hands
of the society. The critical oblivion of their plight shown by authorities, despite the
presence of relevant pieces of legislation, has significantly facilitated the establishment
of their second-class status.
Unfortunately, transgender community is facing the issue of social acceptance from the
society despite the fact that the religion and humanity vocally teach equality of all humans.
This community in Pakistan has been faced with an uphill battle to be accepted as equal
citizens having rights according to the country’s constitution. In 2009, the Supreme Court
ordered the inclusion of a separate column for them in CNICs. While NADRA announced
the inclusion of this column some years ago, the hassles that community members faced
in obtaining CNICs still remain. They are required to submit their birth certificates to obtain
CNICs, and it is completely ignored that due to the discrimination they face at the hands
of their own families, they often do not have birth certificates and other required
documentation needed for CNIC issuance.
Let alone their identity, the transgenders are considered a sign of disgrace in the Pakistani
culture. Most of these individuals never get a chance to acquire education in the regular
schools due to the discriminatory treatment by their families as well as the fellow citizens.
Consequently, most of these individuals have no other option but to make their living by
singing and dancing alongside the road or in private parties.

There are many other issues faced by transgenders in Pakistan. There is no government
aid or support system to help these individuals live a normal life. Government institutions
and other governing bodies are widely known to harass them. In the case of any criminal
victimisation or even sexual harassment, these individuals expect no help or support from
the community or government institutions. There are literally no job opportunities or
financial securities available to them due to which most members of the transgender
community are forced to make their living by prostitution. Although the Supreme Court
had also announced a two percent quota for transgender individuals in all government
and non-government departments, yet even this never got materialised. Regardless of
laws and fatwas that have been passed, this particular segment of our society is often
subjected to hate crimes, insults, physical harassment, sexual abuse, psychological
torture and murder.

We need to break down the stereotypical male and female gender roles that have existed
in our homes and public spheres for decades. By declassifying roles and behaviour, we
can finally accept transgender individuals as a part of our society. We need to make
people realise that gender roles are not genetic; they are instilled socially. The only way
to break away from such perceptions is through changes in the way we perceive gender.
The government can also help establish these ideals by implementing steps to recognise
transgenders on job application forms and as a third option in the gender section on CNIC
forms. Until hospitals and doctors do not give them precedence, their status in our
intolerant society would remain the same. Until they do not have their own representatives
in the parliament, no one would listen to them.

No matter how small it may be, every act of bigotry further ingrains our stigmatization of
the transgender community and its lifestyle. To start with, a strengthened resolve and
legal action is urgently required from the government. The Senate Committee on
Marginalised Segments has done well by deciding to invite transgender activists to
discuss issues facing the community and find a way to prevent violation of their rights. It
is strange that none of the governments of the past or any national institution ever paid
attention to this serious issue and as a consequence transgenders even have no
protection of their fundamental rights like jobs and inheritance. The problem needs to be
addressed on priority as, according to a study, the number of people with transgender
signs or tendencies is increasing. In the first place, our society needs to change its overall
behaviour toward trasgenderism, which is considered a shame and disgrace. Steps
should be taken at family, collective and state levels to ensure proper formal education
for transgenders, which would ultimately help them acquire some good and respectable
livelihood as against dancing and singing that is presently considered their fate. They
should be provided help both by the society and the Government in case of criminal
victimization or sexual harassment. There is urgent need to fix job quota for them as
financial security would encourage them not to indulge in prostitution. It is hoped that the
lawmakers would not leave the matter as such and take it to the logical conclusion by
enacting legislation that effectively ensures protection of rights of transgenders. The
Senators would be doing a great service to the society if they succeed in this mission.

Obstacles for transgender voters are particularly acute in Pakistan, one of the most
conservative countries, where ethnic, religious and sexual minorities have often been
victims of violence and persecution. One of the obstacles for the transgender community
to exercise their right to vote is the acquisition of a computerised national identity card
(CNIC). Reportedly, at least 90 percent of the people who are transgender in Khyber
Pakhtunkhwa do not still possess a CNIC. This is either because they do not have their
father’s name or there is no option in the form that identifies their gender. Government’s
urgent attention is needed to end this discrimination against transgender people, who
have no choice regarding fulfilment of their professional, educational and housing needs.
They are treated like pariahs in society and do not enjoy an equal status like other citizens.
The transgender community has been facing oppression for decades. Not only of the
government, it is also a job of civil society to come forward and recognise them as one of
the members of the mainstream and do not just engage in mockery or just make them a
laughing stock. Recommendations should be forwarded to give transgenders rights of
franchise and to grant them a respectable status in the society.

By giving them the franchise right, the government can open the doors to eliminate other
kinds of discrimination against transgender people. Already the Pakistani discourse on
human rights has largely neglected the transgenders. They can contribute positively to
the country’s economy if they are treated equally. At present, their lives are limited to earn
a few bucks through singing and dancing at family functions and weddings or else they
work as sex workers. It is high time this discrimination brought to an end. Moreover, by
providing transgenders with the right to vote will enable them to have their say in politics
as well as it will give this marginalised community a stronger political voice.

GENDER ISSUES IN PAKISTAN | Breaking Down

the Taboos!
It has been 69 years since Pakistan came into existence, and since then we have
been mired in appalling dilemmas, and have confronted multiple issues. While the
reason for most of our sufferings has been our prevailing socioeconomic
conditions, what has essentially been a chronic predicament for us is the issue of
gender politics that still is a great impediment to growth and development of our
country.
When we talk about gender discrimination in Pakistan, we mainly focus the disparity in
country’s male and female population. According to the Global Gender Gap Report 2015
by the Geneva-based World Economic Forum, Pakistan ranked 144 out of 145 countries,
second to last, in terms of global gender equality. This is the third year on the trot that
Pakistan has maintained the penultimate ranking. The only country where women face
equality issues worse than Pakistan is Yemen.

Here the most pertinent question is: ‘why women are treated as inferior entities?’ Over
the decades, we have seen how women’s exclusion from political and other arenas of life
has become a major issue. This is because of the cultural restrictions on women due to
which fewer institutions could focus on educating women or prioritizing them for jobs.

However, gender issues aren’t limited to inequalities between men and women in various
fields of life rather the phenomenon of violence against women is also no less than a
scourge of our society. Since 2014, according to the National Police Bureau, more than
12,000 cases of violence against women and girls have been reported, in which over 500
were related to domestic violence. Similarly, during the last seven years, Pakistan has
witnessed an increasing trend of honour killings. This curse has been aptly showcased
by Sharmeen Obain-Chinoy in her second Oscar-winning documentary: “A Girl in the
River” which brings to light this impending and ongoing dilemma of our society.
However, what needs to be noted is that despite being the victims of cruel gender politics
which entails notions like sexism and misogyny, we are also making efforts to eradicate
this menace.

An example of this being that in 2015, students of New Delhi’s Jamia Millia Islamia stuck
sanitary pads all over the campus in a bid to raise awareness about rape and sexism. A
year later, a simple college assignment at Beaconhouse National University (BNU) in
Lahore started it in Pakistan as well. On April 7-8, 2016, a group of girls and boys decided
to protest against the stigmatization of menstruation and the ‘sharmindagi'(shame)
attached to it.

The protest was aimed at encouraging the public at large to accept menstruation as a
normal fact of life, instead of treating it as a “dirty little secret” and brown-bagging sanitary
pads at grocery stores. Such efforts and the ones made by Chinoy on international fora
make us realize how important it is to eradicate the deeply-rooted misogynic and
chauvinist mindsets that have permeated our society. Moreover, another initiative by
women in Lahore is that of “Girls at Dhabbas”, a concept that reverberates female
liberation. The founder of this enterprise, Sadia Khatri recently posted: “There isn’t
anything about sitting at a dhaba having chai that particularly screams: look at my politics.
But it becomes political because public space is contentious and political; it becomes
feminist because I am a woman who needs to go through a certain mental and physical
effort to be in that space; it becomes art because it is playful, it focuses on the ways we
create pleasure – ordinary pleasure – in the streets.”

Through these movements what our general masses need to realize is that there is no
shame in sitting at a dhaba, or playing a cricket match on the street, or riding a bicycle.
By restricting the public space for women in our cities, we create the space for
discrimination and violence against women.

Although, women are the victimized beings in our gender politics, what we forget while
talking about gender issues is that the issue of transgender community. There are an
estimated 500,000 ‘third-gender’ citizens in Pakistan, including cross-dressers,
transsexuals, eunuchs, hermaphrodites, and transvestites. In 2012, the Pakistani
government recognized the transgender population and a three-member bench of the
Supreme Court of Pakistan, headed by the then-Chief Justice, Iftikhar Muhammad
Chaudhry, ruled that the transgender community is entitled to rights guaranteed in the
Constitution to all citizens, including the right of inheritance. Prior to this, as transgenders
did not classify themselves as ‘male’ or ‘female’ on official documents, they were barred
from fundamental rights, such as voting.

However, in May 2013 general elections, five members of the community contested polls.
While their rights are guaranteed on paper, members of the transgender community still
don’t enjoy these rights in practice. Government institutions and other governing bodies
are known to harass these individuals. In case of any criminal victimization or even sexual
harassment, these individuals get no support from the community or government
institutions. Due to illiteracy, they have no job opportunities and financial security and thus
most members of the transgender community are forced to make their living by
prostitution or other immoral means.

Hence, to bring about a long-term solution to gender disparity in our country, we need to
take more and more measures and to create more awareness among the masses. It is
imperative for us to understand and recognize the rights of women and transgenders for
they are not just humans deserving fundamental rights, but they, together with the rest of
the citizens of the state, build the nation. It is important for us to walk on the notion of
moderation.