Effects of sexual harassment:

According to Advocate for human Rights,  Sexual harassment at work can have very serious consequences both for the harassed individual as well as for other working women who experience it secondhand.
The consequences to the individual employee can be many and serious.  In some situations, a harassed woman risks losing her job or the chance for a promotion if she refuses to give in to the sexual demands of someone in authority.  In other situations, the unwelcome sexual conduct of co-workers makes the working conditions hostile and unpleasant- putting indirect pressure on her to leave the job.  Sometimes, the employee is so traumatized by the harassment that she suffers serious emotional and physical consequences—and very often, becomes unable to perform her job properly.

According to data complied by Equal Rights Advocates, a women’s law center in the U.S., 90 to 95% of sexually harassed women suffer from some debilitating stress reaction, including anxiety, depression, headaches, sleep disorders, weight loss or gain, nausea, lowered self-esteem. The effect on the morale of all employees can also be serious.  Both men and women in a workplace can find their work disrupted by sexual harassment even if they are not directly involved.  Sexual harassment can have a demoralizing effect on everyone within range of it, and it often negatively impacts company productivity on the whole. 

Despite the fact that due to great Red tape we are not able a get a  right time for having a law for the said issue we still hope and looking forward to an  Anti Harassment bill and of course  the implementation of the bill, which  is the most important part. 

Your views will be welcome openly about the issue,  do write.....

 

Violence against women rise in Pakistan.

violence against women raise in Pakistan

 In 2011 Violence against women in Pakistan has been increased 6.74 per cent as compared to 2010. 

A women cast her vote in a polling station

Who stops Pakistani women to Vote ?

 

Women's suffrage  ( is the right of women to vote and to run for office) has been achieved at various times in various countries throughout the world. In many countries women's suffrage was granted before universal suffrage, so women (and men) from certain classes or races were still unable to vote, while some granted it to both sexes at the same time. According to a timeline lists years when women's suffrage was enacted in various places.

Pakistan declared independence on the 14th of August 1947. In 1956 right to vote extended to national level, previously only literate women could vote,  yes according to Constitution of Pakistan women can vote,  they have equal rights - but in certain areas men do not allow them to go outside of the house to cast their vote. Women may face two distinct barriers to exercising their right to vote. First, costs of participation may be too high. Traditions or cultural stereotypes may discourage the exercise. Second, women may have fewer or poorer sources of information about the significance of political participation or the balloting process.  women are often not registered as voters because they face opposition from male household heads and that female turnout is low because women lack knowledge about the electoral system and about voting. wish to read more, click here.

Women constitute for more than fifty percent of the population of Pakistan. Their participation in the elections is vital to ensure election of right candidate. However if one looks at the women participation in the past elections a sad reality comes to light that their participation has been less than expected. The women in urban areas have to some extent participated in the elections and casted their votes however the percentage has been quite low. Even the highly educated women often stay away from casting their vote. In the rural areas the situation is even worse. Either the women do not cast their votes at all or they act on the advice of the male members of the family. This way often not so deserving candidates get elected and deserving ones lose. The low voter turnaround among women voters is further highlighted by the fact that in 2008 elections average male voter turnaround in the country was almost 49.8% while in women voters it was almost 39.7%.

Women really want to go outside but they're not allowed to. They are dependent on men. In big cities it is different but in some areas, traditions are very strong so they can't.

There are two very different realities. There are women who have become prominent figures in every field of life. They are ministers, members of national and provincial assemblies and political leaders, but on the other hand, there are other women who are the most oppressed class of society. There are many areas in the country where women are deprived from their right of casting votes including Mardan, Shangla and other area like Mianwali.  A modern history states that elders and religious leaders attempted to prevent female participation by threatening punishment against tribesmen whose women registered, leading to under-registration in the female population. In 2008, the Taliban ordered women in the FATA regions of Bajaur, Kurram and Mohmand not to vote under threat of "serious punishment," while Mangal Bagh, chief of the Lashkar-e-Islam, forbade women to vote in the Jamrud and Bara subdivisions of the Khyber Agency. Not only in KPK or tribal areas wherever we have feudal system or have a low or no literacy rate women not allowed to poll.

watch the video

 

Women's Portrayal in Media

 

• The female models in Deal or No Deal, whose function in the show is to look pretty and to remain passive until the moment the host allows them to "open the case"
• Sexualized images of women in music videos
• Pinup posters of sexualized models
• College girls in Girls Gone Wild videos
• Women in pornography
• Waitresses at Hooters.

The consequences of objectification are not easy to measure. There is no way to link dangerous behaviors such as eating disorders or crimes such as rape directly to media objectification-- and it would be irresponsible and inaccurate to do so. However, we live in a world filled with the objectification of women, and this objectification contributes to social problems.

Its not too late, we can handle the problem with sincere efforts and result oriented measures as I read about a workshop about women's portrayal in Media.

In this workshop which is held by Uks Research Centre, on 17the July 2012 in Islamabad, a group of nearly 25 journalists belonging to print and electronic media a consensus was made at the conclusion of the workshop that;


Media has played a positive role in highlighting the plight of women. However, in many cases, it has been irresponsible and fostered negativity, suggesting that there is a need to sensitise reporters, editors, program directors and media owners. for more click here.

The participants agreed that the media should respect the right to privacy and maintain professional standards while reporting on women issues.

Media is the best thing that has happened to our country, however it should be ethically responsible considering the social consequences,”   

said Sachet Executive President Dr. Rakhshanda Perveen.

Pakistani women in Asian Championship

 

Women have the Nation's future in their hands, Support them.

 

 

Power Women Fighting For Women's Issues

 

We always keep our eyes on the toppers, no one bothers to know who helped them to climb the ladder or who is behind the show. The Power Women list honors women who've reached the top. But what of those who have made it their mission to make power accessible to other women?

 

Molly Melching

1. Molly Melching 

Melanee Verveer

 2.  Melanee Verveer

Somaly Mam

3. Somaly Mam