When Shehnaz talks about the house that she built with her earnings, you can see her pride. She spent Rs 500,000 on just the construction. Sunlight streamed into every room. It was not in a dark alley, but right on the corner of a street. The women she waxed helped her put the money together to make her home. Shehnaz and her three children were happiest when living there. That is, until her husband sold the house.
Where did the money go? Shehnaz was never told but she has a sense. Her husband likes to gamble. When he gambles, he likes to drink. And when he loses, he gets drunk. When he loses and gets drunk, he beats her.
According to a February 2009 report from the Aurat Foundation, a non-governmental organisation, 7,733 cases of violence against women were cited in the print media in 2008. (That’s right – those little Page 3 items add up.) Of these, 472 were cases of honour killings, the vast majority of which were carried out by spouses or family members. Pakistan’s Additional Police Surgeon, Dr Zulfiqar Siyal, has announced that 100 women are raped every 24 hours on average in the city of Karachi alone. I’m not sure if these rapes include those committed within a marriage.
The good news – and it’s about the only good news that came last month – was that parliament is doing something about it. Last month, the National Assembly passed the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill.
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