Re: Fury over Musharraf’s ‘cry rape, get rich’ claim
Published in the Opinion section of Dawn, its self-explanatory:
http://www.dawn.com/2005/09/19/op.htm
Where is the institutional response?
By Dr Farzana Bari
AFTER the shocking incidence of the rape of Mukhtaran Mai, Dr Shazia Khalid and now Sonia Naz — which has brought into question the existence of an informal parallel judicial system of panchayats and jirgas in the country, exposed the criminal nature of the police and the inability of the criminal justice system to dispense justice in cases of violence against women — most appalling is the response of the government to the issue of rape in Pakistan.
The way the “enlightened” and “women friendly” regime of President Pervez Musharraf reacted to the rape victims and those who stood by them is no different than the reaction of a typical feudal lord or the patriarch of the family who believes that abuse and violence within the family or community is a private matter. Therefore, those who dare to speak of private matters in public must be awarded exemplary punishment for ‘dishonouring’ and bringing a bad name to the family or the community.
Similarly, the government in general and the president in particular are behaving like a patriarch of the family and constantly threatening rape victims and women rights organizations of dire consequences of “washing their dirty linen” abroad as it is believed that this will bring a bad name to the country.
Due to a dominant feudal and patriarchal mindset, the government is unable to understand that Pakistan has not been singled out in the world due to the incidence of rape as it is a global phenomenon and happens all over the world. It is the poor institutional response, mishandling of the government of high profile rape cases that got enormous media publicity at home and abroad and the mindboggling statements made on various occasions nationally and internationally by no less a person than the president of Pakistan, that have singled out Pakistan.
**It is important for Pervez Musharraf to understand that images are not built by silencing the voices of the oppressed but by changing ugly realities. The statement he made to the Washington Post, and which he later denied having made, “you must understand the environment in Pakistan, this has become a money-making concern. A lot of people say if you want to go abroad and get a visa for Canada or citizenship and be a millionaire, get yourself raped” is most damaging to the image of the country. It shows the height of disrespect to the women of Pakistan. As a head of state he should know that he has committed a political blunder to quote the most decadent minority view as a dominant public view of Pakistanis on the issue of rape.
**
It is ironic that Gen Musharraf’s military regime has done the most to empower women politically through the reservation of seats and has hosted record number of regional and international conferences on gender issues that are attended by the president and the prime minister. This approach is fairly unique and uncommon as compared with other countries. And yet the government has messed up in the handling the most sensitive cases of rape in Pakistan.
What is wrong in the government approach is the lack of basic understanding of gender-based violence. It is trying to formulate an ad hoc case by case response to the issue of violence against women that is a structural issue and demands a most comprehensive institutional response. The government must understand that the direct intervention of the prime minister or the president in cases of violence against women is not the solution of the problem.
There is an inherent limitation in responding to such cases at the personal level. How many cases would they be able to intervene in? There are hundreds and thousands of women who become victims of violence everyday. What is needed is to put in place an effective, robust and specialized institutional arrangement.
Violence against women is systemic and structural that requires a structural change which is not possible without complete restructuring of the state and society in order for them to become violence free. Structural change is a long-term project. While it is important that the government works towards a long-term strategy to transform socio-cultural, political, legal, economic and criminal justice system to become more gender sensitized and responsive, there is an urgent need to develop an effective response to deal with the cases of violence that are being reported in the print and electronic media daily.
If the government is interested in building its image on the violence against women front, it needs to focus on immediate institutional solutions to the problem. Presently the institutional response to reported cases of violence is poor because our institutions are inefficient, insensitive and ill-equipped to deal with violence against women cases. In turn the pathetic delayed institutional response puts the government in an embarrassing position. Therefore, we need to establish a parallel institutional arrangement that is highly effective and efficient.
In this regard a concrete suggestion to the government will be to establish a dedicated high-profile committee consisting of members who are known for their expertise, credibility and commitment to the issue of violence against women (VAW). The committee should have an attached court (high court judges exclusively working on cases of VAW), police, laboratory with facility of DNA testing, legal experts, shelter, etc.
This committee, with its comprehensive response package to VAW, must be mobile and should be able to go from place to place across the country. The committee should hear cases of VAW on the spot, conduct investigation with their attached specialized police, the attached specialized court with its judges should decide cases promptly and dispense justice without delay.
The committee could be placed under the umbrella of the National Commission on the Status of Women or the Ministry of Women’s Development. However, it must be independent of these institutions, otherwise the inherent inefficiency of these institutions would negatively influence the work of the committee too.
The travelling committee with a comprehensive response package to the cases of violence against women will go a long way not only to bring credibility to the government but also to create a social and psychological environment that will support and promote the enlightened moderation policy.
