[DAWN] THE death of Qandeel Baloch has brought to the forefront the debate about the status of women in this country. Since the news of the social media star’s murder, allegedly at the hands of her brother, we have learned many uncomfortable facts about our society, its leaders, and its attitudes towards women. We have been made to realise that the progress women have been making in this country remains useless if their basic safety cannot be guaranteed by the state.In Pakistain, women are being encouraged to study, to think of careers, to think of themselves as entrepreneurs. Taking up an unconventional career, such as a fighter pilot or the CEO of a multinational company, is presented as a valid option for our lives, beyond the traditional roles of marriage and motherhood. Our government promises to do everything it can to support us. Foreign countries pour aid into programmes that promote women’s empowerment. ’When women do well, Pakistain looks good’ is the mantra we desperately want to believe.
Yet these are all false promises. Our physical safety is still compromised: we can be beaten, abused, molested, assaulted and even murdered, and the perpetrators of those crimes will get off lightly, if they even see the insides of a courtroom or jail cell. There is still no law that clearly and unequivocally criminalises abuse, domestic violence, or sexual harassment against us. If the law is there, mechanisms to enforce it do not exist. There is still no amendment to honour killing laws labelling this kind of murder a crime against the state each time it happens.