Life is getting worse for women in Pakistan, says report

(March 20, 2013) Women in Pakistan are exposed to increased violence and inequality, said the report - “Obstructing Progress: Growing Talibanization and Poor Governance in Pakistan.” The report was released on Monday by Shirkat Gah, a women’s resource center based in Karachi. It said an upsurge in militancy and poor governance are major factors behind increased violence against women and a growing gender imbalance in the country. According to the report “Armed conflicts have created an atmosphere of intense insecurity, negatively impacting women and girls. The state has failed to check armed jihadi militant groups with uncourageous bigotry and misogynist views propagated by seminaries and educational institutes.”
The report, endorsed by 19 civil society organizations, contradicts a recent report highlighting initiatives taken by the government for women’s empowerment and presented to a UN committee on the Conventions on Elimination of All Kind of Discrimination against Women last month. According to Shirkat Gah, hundreds of girls' schools have been bombed, while women have been denied employment and participation in elections.
At least 10 women’s rights defenders have been killed since 2010, while nine female polio vaccinators were killed last December, Shirkat Gah added. “We do not aim to disgrace the government but help them understand realities on the ground. “ We urge all political parties to ensure in their future plans to include concrete steps to implement UN conventions,” Shirkat Gah director Fouzia Viqar told ucanews.