#4
"darkly warning Israel it had better get with the U.S. program"
We HAVE no program, that's the problem. Our "program" consists of "we will shun you if you don't play by the rules and send you sternly worded letters and say bad things about you in the press".
That's just about the extent of it. Sanctions? Sanctions have never worked in the history of the United States of American. Gee, those sanctions sure stopped North Korea playing with the nukes, didn't they?
Once you publicly announce sanctions, the other side gets a bit of a boost just by standing up to them, in other words, sanctions if announced publicly are at least partially self-neutralizing. If you are going to engage in sanctions, you do so quietly with no press. You start "losing" transactions or they move at a glacial pace. You start denying visas. You start pressuring businesses not to deal with them or better, give them alternative deals that are even better.
If you want to play the "sanctions" game, it is better done quietly.
[Dawn] Despite the formulation of bills to protect Pak women against violence and brutalities, it is ironical that crimes and inhumanity have not ceased to haunt them. Perhaps one of the reasons why the perpetrators are not deterred to attack women is the fact that most of them get away with committing such abominable crimes because of lack of evidence and other ambiguous reasons.
In a country where cultural and ethical values supersede the right to voice the atrocities of the abusers, many people are of the view that crimes go unpunished as women refrain from reporting them. However, a good lie finds more believers than a bad truth... there have been cases where crimes have been reported but the alleged abusers have not been reprimanded for their 'misdemeanours'.
Perhaps the fear that law enforcing agencies will not assist the victims is an adequate reason to not report these crimes.
A recent case which failed to make the headlines was reported and publicised on the Asian Human Rights Commission's website. The case revolves around a woman by the name of Parveen Bibi, who hails from Rahimyar Khan. The woman was raped, abused and sold to various people over the period of a year. However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... when her family finally realised what was actually happening and reported the crime, the police refused to assist them. In fact, many officials from the police force and community police discouraged them from filing the case and asked them to drop the charges as the 'people involved' were highly resourceful and were capable of vindictiveness.
The brutality of the crime, coupled with the indifferent behaviour of our LEAs, are enough to infuriate anyone. The laws, bills and policies will remain unimplemented unless the 'custodians' of these so-called mandates own them and ensure that they are being followed. While it is true that nothing will compensate for the traumatic events that have tarnished the life of the victim in question; taking severe actions against the culprits behind her abuse might play an important role in stopping other people from getting involved in any such activities.
Hence, it would not be unwise to say that a piece of paper has no significance till its contents are used for safeguarding the people it is meant to protect.
For decades women have been treated as commodities and items of sale in Pakistain. One of the most underreported crimes are those committed against women. The ratio and incidences of marital or spousal rape in Pakistain are extremely high. Women are subjected to marital rape for years and consider that the 'service' remains an integral part of their matrimonial duty. Women have reportedly died from cases of marital rape; however, our very deep rooted belief that this is our 'duty' discourages us from addressing the issue severly.
The aforementioned issue is not restricted to the poverty ridden and illiterate section of the society. Many a time, I have seen the so-called educated people mock statutory rape in Pakistain. Perhaps the phenomenon has more to do with our cultural and social values and the way we are individually brought up.
Perhaps it is slightly wishful of me to divert people's attention to more 'obscure' crimes when the most apparent and evident ones are being neglected by the law enforcers.
The announcement of the bill was very frankly a tremendous respite for many of us however; its success is yet to be measured. In a male dominated society, protecting women can be extremely tricky. It is encouraging to believe that laws and protection mandates will bring about a radical change in the structure of our society. However, the hip bone's connected to the leg bone... what remains more essential and perhaps the most vital element of the process is the behavioural change amongst the masses of Pakistain.
Unless we stop using women as tools for 'barter trade', the crimes and violence will continue to exist. Each victim of beatings, acid attacks, burning, rape and other forms of violence is an open question mark to the sanctity of our society. It is mandatory to take actions individually to eradicate violence against women; it is, in fact, the only way to fight the system which has accepted the status quo and denied justice to the women of Pakistain.
Posted by: Fred ||
02/28/2012 00:00 ||
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Top|| File under: Govt of Pakistan
#1
Once again, what would put an end to this is for women to adopt the social mandate demanded by other women that they *must* carry sharp weapons with them, and use those weapons against any man who attacks them. Repeatedly.
Nowhere in the world is it so poor that there is not a piece of sharp metal or even broken glass.
#2
Many years ago I read an interesting essay which proposed that the success of Christianity in converting the Roman Empire was based on the fact that women, particularly the middle class, were far better off as Christians. And, where the women went the men followed.
Somehow I can't picture the Rock Worshippers having the same effect.
#2
He could also get under their skin by pointing out that the *only* reason they are trying to force him to change his faith is because *their* faith is weak. They cannot persuade others to believe, so they threaten them to pretend to believe.
#5
What is important to the regime is that if a Christian leader denounces the Christian faith, the followers will do so as well. He knows this, he will not succumb to this intimidation, just as U.S. Catholics refused to succumb to the mandates of the Hussein regime.
Posted by: George Ebbeamp4828 ||
02/28/2012 14:49 Comments ||
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[Dawn] Despite the formulation of bills to protect Pak women against violence and brutalities, it is ironical that crimes and inhumanity have not ceased to haunt them. Perhaps one of the reasons why the perpetrators are not deterred to attack women is the fact that most of them get away with committing such abominable crimes because of lack of evidence and other ambiguous reasons.
