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Rape, murder, destitution - women's lot in South Asia
September 21, 2000
Bangkok - In India, one woman is raped every hour, and 14 married women are
killed by their husbands' families each day. In Pakistan, at least eight women
are raped a day and another 1,000 were killed to save family "honor" in 1999.
Violence against women persists in parts of South Asia because of weak laws and
social attitudes that condone such abuse, says the annual State of the World
Population Report 2000, released by the UN Population Fund (UNFPA).
In parts of South Asia, Western Asia and Africa, the report pointed out, men
are seen as having a right to discipline their wives as they see fit. "The
right of a husband to beat or physically intimidate his wife is a deeply held
conviction in many societies. Even women often view a certain amount of
physical abuse as justified under certain conditions," it said.
In Pakistan, for instance, law enforcers routinely dismiss domestic violence as
private disputes. Victims who try to complain are turned away and even forced
by the police to make up with abusive spouses or relatives, according to the
report. Women who report rape or sexual assault by strangers, on the other
hand, are often disbelieved or treated with disrespect. "They must contend with
abusive police, forensic doctors who focus on their virginity status instead of
their injuries, untrained prosecutors, skeptical judges, and a discriminatory
and deficient legal framework."
The situation is not much different in India, where women's groups say deeply
conservative attitudes about sex and privacy within families have contributed
to "brutally ineffective" rape laws. India's Law Commission has called for
widespread reforms in the country's rape legislation, including the
establishment of special courts to handle rape cases. It has also recommended
harsh punishments for sex offenders, especially those who prey on children and
inflict "lasting psychic damage" on them.
The report noted the alarming rise in "honor" killings throughout the world,
with some girls and women being murdered by their own families for the
"dishonor" of being being raped. Citing a report by lawyer Asma Jahangir (the
UN's special rapporteur on extra-judicial, summary and arbitrary executions),
UNFPA said these killings tend to be more prevalent in, but are not limited to,
countries with a majority Muslim population. "Honor" killings have been
recorded in Bangladesh, Brazil, Ecuador, Egypt, India, Israel, Italy, Jordan,
Morocco, Pakistan, Sweden, Turkey, Uganda and Britain.
Inside or outside the home, violence against women is pervasive, yet
under-recognized as a human rights violation, the UNFPA report stated. The
world population body advises better access to education, health and other
social services for narrowing gender gaps. Emphasizing that investing in
education pays off, the report states: "Larger gender gaps are observed in
regions with lower overall levels of education. Denying education to women has
slowed social and economic development."
In this regard, Sri Lanka stands out in South Asia as a good example. Sri
Lankan women, with a life expectancy of 74 years, enjoy the best health among
women in South Asia. Apart from public health measures that have reduced
maternal mortality, one other telling factor is the level of socio-economic
changes, which have "changed female status and the value to parents of girls
relative to boys", the report said.
Smaller family sizes and increased investments in girls' education and health
were contributory factors in the rapid economic advances in some Asian
countries from the 1960s through the 1980s, according to the UNFPA report.
Economic gains in East and Southeast Asia were helped and reinforced by
progress in women's education. It is estimated that a 1 percent increase in
female secondary schooling results in a 0.3 percent rise in economic growth.
"Educated women with increased income invest more in their children's health
and education," the report said.
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Half
of Indian women say wife beating justified
11-17-2001
Little
fair for the fairer sex
12-16-2000
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