16 Days Activism
Community Awareness regarding Gender Based Violence
Seminar-28th November, 2013
Peshawar- A one day seminar was arranged by
Society for Rights and Development in partnership with Strengthening
Participator Organization (SPO) at frontier Regions of FATA titled: Community
Awareness regarding Gender Based Violence in connection of 16 Days Activism
starting from November 25, 2013 up to 10th December, 2013. A large
number of participants attended the seminar and spoke on the occasion regarding
the topic. Zar Ali Khan Afridi Executive Director Society for Rights and
Development welcomed the participants and said that violence has been defined
by UN General Assembly in 1993 as Violence against women means any act of
Gender Based Violence that results in or is likely to result in physical,
sexual or psychological harm or suffering to women including threats of such
acts, coercion or arbitrary deprivations of liberty, whether occurring in
public or private life. In 1993 the General Assembly went to present a partial
list of what it felt constituted Gender Based Violence including
1. Physical,
sexual, and psychological
2. Child sexual
3. Dowry related violence
4. Marital rape
5. Female genital mutilation
6. Rape and
sexual abuse
7. Sexual harassment
in the workplaces and educational institutions
8. Trafficking
in women
9. Forced
prostitution
Men often
use violence to punish perceived transgression of Gender roles to show
authority and to save honor. . Violence against women is often considered normal
and justified by broader society rather a criminal act, and victims instead of
perpetrators are often stigmatized. Violence against women therefore can not be
understood in isolation from the gender norms, social structure and roles that
influence women, s vulnerability to violence. He said that violence against
women can be included just slapping, hitting and beating of women and girls. These are minors things in our society but
these are crimes on the part of men against women. Women in this part of the
world often keep silent over such violence. This is domestic violence. In our
country bill against domestic violence was rejected by senate as well as
provincial assembly of Khyber pakhtunkhwa. The MPs thought it was a family
matter and such matter should not be brought to courts. This is just face
saving which is not acceptable he maintained. We need to mobilize our community
against violence. For such practices to
stop we need the following few things which are important to control violence
against women in our society.
1. Reforming
community based non formal system of justice
2. Community
mobilization to influence and monitor policy reforms
3. Individual
behavior change strategy
4. Educating
law enforcement and public about new laws if any. In FATA there is no such law
and we are struggling to formulate the laws by pressuring government and to
enforce them in FATA.
5. Broad
investment in strengthening the law
enforcement response to Gender Based Violence
6. Special
public cells and family courts are to be set up but again such rights are not
given to women in FATA. Because in FATA no law of existing 16 women related
laws has been extended which itself is a violation of women rights by state.
7. Comprehensive
medico-legal system reforms
8. Building
networks and alliances between legal, social and health organizations of FATA.
9. Reforming
informal justice system if exists any. As for as FATA is concerned Jirgas are
held to solve most of the issues and matters. A Jirga is also constituted to
decide the future of a girl and woman but unfortunately there is no
representation or voice of the women and girl in Jirgas. In Pashtun Jirgas
women are not given representation and only males have power to decide women
and girls future. Other participants also spoke on the occasion and highlighted
the importance of 16 Days Activism campaign and pledged that despite the hard
and tough situations the movement needs to be continued and women should be
given due place in society equal to males.
Regards
Zar Ali Khan Afridi
Executive Director
Society for Rights and
Development-03015963337
