High Asia Herald Report
Islamabad: Civil society and women rights activists have condemned a resolution passed by the lower house of the parliament supporting capital punishment for those involved in sexual abuse.
“We at Women Democratic Front condemn National Assembly’s resolution on #HangRapistsPublicly,” the socialist feminist movement said in a statement posted on its official Facebook page.
Sexual barbarism is undoubtedly widespread, but reactionary/stone age punishment is no solution.
“We reject Machiavellian politics and demand wide-range feminist policy interventions to abolish structures of overgrown patriarchy, toxic/violent masculinity, social conservatism, and reactionary ideological, psychological, sexual indoctrination through education and media.”
The “resolution” presented by PTI Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Muhammad Khan is more of a media strategy to distract public opinion and criticism on governance issues. We don’t mean at all that patriarchal violence and sexual barbarism is not a key issue, but this solution is a joke!!
Rape is widespread in Pakistan, so should we hang half of the male population? Technically speaking, in addition to young boys and girls who face sexual attacks and rape, 21% of girls suffer from child marriage, which is statutory rape. The number of rapists is in millions!
“Given the fact that #AuratAzadiMarch2020 is approaching, we see NA’s resolution as an attempt to set the stage for bailing out the government, as PTI has shelved all gender-related bills during last year.
PTI’s resolution is tantamount to a conspiracy to get away with gender-agenda of the government, and silencing upcoming #AuratAzadiMarch2020 by the rising feminist movement.
We at WDF demand a wide range of policy interventions we have prepared. We demand that the feminist movement should guide the govt’s policy interventions to end patriarchal violence and sexual barbarism in Pakistan.