Beyond Outrage: Violence Against Women Persists

The recent acid attack on a female doctor in Quetta, the murder of a young girl in Jhang and the alleged burning of a mother and her daughter in Sahiwal have once again shaken the conscience of the public. The outrage has flooded social media, hours of TV have been spent covering these incidents and public figures have condemned. But, under the collective grief and anger is a disturbing reality: these incidents are not shocking because they are rare, they are shocking because they are familiar.
The number of violent incidents reported in the media targeting women has got us to thinking about a troubling reality: is violence against women becoming normalised in our society?
The solution doesn’t lie simply in crime figures or legal history. It is expressed in day-to-day attitudes, social practices and institutional responses that continue to tolerate, excuse or minimise violence towards women. The incidents of the acid attack in Quetta, murder in Jhang, and tragedy in Sahiwal may seem like isolated incidents in different parts of the country and under different circumstances, but they have a common theme: that women can be punished, controlled or harmed for threatening the existing power structures.
The violence against women is nothing new in Pakistan. For decades women have endured domestic abuse, honour killings, forced marriage, work place harassment, acid attacks and all sorts of physical and psychological abuse. But what is so disturbing is that society views each event as an isolated occurrence instead of as a trend. Every tragedy brings a temporary outpouring of anger and outrage, but as the news fades, conversations about significant systems change die down with it.
It is this reality that was reflected by the acid attack on the female doctor in Quetta. One of the most violent forms of violence is an acid attack which is designed not only to cause injuries but to permanently change a person’s identity and future. Such attacks affect the face, the symbol of the social life, and cause lifelong physical and psychological scars. They are actions of control intended to communicate a message: Women, if you assert your independence, do not accept advances, if you challenge men, you can be brutally punished.
Likewise, the killing of a little girl in Jhang demonstrates the lack of women and girl’s autonomy in a society where their require autonomy is commonly challenged. In South Asia, women, who choose to pursue education, marry, work or engage in personal relationships, are victim of violence in countless instances. In many situations, the agency is experienced as a threat by itself. Violence in a society is a means of maintaining power when it values control over equality.
The horrific act of violence that happened in Sahiwal further illustrates the dangers women face in what is considered safe space. Home is typically envisioned as a sanctuary of safety and security. However, in the home there are more dangers that threaten the safety of many women. In fact, many women are subjected to domestic violence each year, and thousands of women are still in abusive situations due to poverty, social ostracism, fear of abuse or lack of institutional protection.
One of the biggest challenges in solving the problem of violence against women is that it is only perceived as a private issue and not a public one. Issues of domestic violence, family violence and what can be called ‘honour’ problems are seen as personal issues to be left within the family. These attitudes are deterrent to victims and to those who may have their part to play in assisting the victim and make it easier for the perpetrators to operate with relative impunity. Its impact is not just felt within the home, but in society as a whole.
It is no denying that Pakistan has taken steps forward in the field of legislation. Laws on acid crimes, workplace harassment, domestic violence and honour-based killings are some positive measures that have been taken. The problem has been recognised at a policy level in these legal changes. But the law is not enough to change entrenched social values. Protections and real experiences are far from equal.
There remain a great number of women who are still facing severe obstacles to accessing justice. Reporting violence can be a complex process that involves intricate legal, social and victim blaming procedures. Investigations may be stalled, trials delayed and convictions hard to obtain. Seeking justice can be a further source of trauma for many survivors. Many cases, therefore, never come to light and others are simply lost in the shuffle of an overloaded legal system.
The media also has a major influence on the public perception of the violence against women. Although there may be a benefit in terms of raising awareness, it can also work against normalisation when incidents are reported in a way that it is a regular headline rather than a sign of a underlying social problem. Often the interest goes to sensational aspects of individual incidents rather than considering the structural inequalities that make violence possible. This shifts the focus away from the wider situation that puts countless women at risk and focuses on individual victims.
Education is often looked upon as the remedy to social issues, and to an extent, it is. But education should go beyond literacy and skills-training. It should cover the topics of gender equality, consent, respect and human rights. Boys and young men need to be educated that being a man doesn’t mean being controlling or dominating. Likewise, girls need to be able to identify their rights and request assistance if they are denied their rights. Social change starts in the classroom and in families, communities and culture.
It is the responsibility of religious leaders, educators, policy-makers, journalists and civil society organisations to be part of the solution for dismantling narratives that reinforce gender inequalities. The violence against women doesn’t just fall from the sky. It is rooted in beliefs which value male authority over female autonomy. Until the beliefs are challenged, legal changes will not suffice.
Support of victims is also a crucial aspect that needs to be reinforced. There should be increased access and effectiveness of shelters, counselling services, legal aid centres and protection mechanisms. Women who want to leave an abusive situation shouldn’t have to sacrifice between safety and social survival. Not only is there a need to punish perpetrators, but there is also a responsibility to protect survivors and help them recover.
The recent incidents in Quetta, Jhang and Sahiwal should be a wake-up call to the nation. They remind us that violence against women does not happen in any specific geographic location, class or community. This is a widespread social problem, and is a symptom of the inequalities that exist in society.
There are many dimensions of a nation’s progress other than just economic growth, technological development and political stability. It also needs to be judged on the security, dignity and freedom of its people. If women still face the risk of violence, it is not a complete progress.
Quetta’s acid attack, Jhang’s murder and the tragedy in Sahiwal are not just a series of random events. They’re symptoms of a society that’s trying to overcome old and new differences between men and women. As long as violence towards women is seen as a personal problem, instead of a social problem, the cycle of outrage, no action and repetition will play out.
The task for Pakistan isn’t just to condemn violence when it happens. The challenge is to break the cycle of conditions that enable such violence in the first place.

Also Read: Honor Killing in Pakistan: A social tragedy that goes on