Plight of Mukadam and Memoona

From the brutal beheading of Noor Mukadam to the gruesome murder of Memoona Soomro, a male-centric society has all the features of sexism and gender segregation, rampant discrimination and violence against women. More's the pity, most of such crimes committed against women go unreported in Pakistan in general and in the Sindh province in particular, as if gender violence is an well-accepted social norm and is no more taken as an evil, condemnable act.

In Sindh, ancestral and medieval practices rule the roost which mainly target women, the most vulnerable part of the society as many of them are subject to misogyny and male chauvinism in and outside their families. The brutal murder of many an innocent woman is tried in jirga in a sheer violation of state laws. The law does exist, for instance the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection Act), 2013, yet it is not executed with letter and spirit. As a corollary, offenders in many cases go scot free and the vicious cycle of violence and abuse goes into a tailspin.

Unbridled gender discrimination and violence against women is deeply rooted in the male-centric society, where women are considered less than their male counterparts and are treated as man's property. Women are tormented, killed, physically manhandled and are brutally killed in the name of honour, and are used as a bargaining chip to settle disputes among the men of the village. In most parts of rural Sindh, however, the violence against women is considered not more than an 'individual and family matter' and is neither prosecuted by the police or the other law-enforcement agencies, nor is the matter referred to the court of law.

In a rural backdrop, a pervasive sexist mentality is fuelled by a well-entrenched feudalism and tribal mindset, which adds to the plight of the likes of Noor Mukdam and Memoona Soomro. A very low literacy rate and prevailing ignorance and sensitivity about human rights issues is another chief factor that negatively affects the well-being of women living in those backward areas. In a nutshell, there is an urgent need to set up a special women's court to bring down the prevailing plight of the womenfolk.