Unsung heroes

Women make up 50 per cent of Pakistan’s population, but this half leads a shockingly difficult life here with no dignity and respect for most of them in public spaces. Take last week’s example, six people were arrested after residents in an informal settlement in Karachi’s Korangi allegedly attacked a polio vaccination team (lady health workers) and the policemen escorting them. For a country that saw an alarming increase in the number of polio cases – from six in 2023 to 64 in 2024 to date – citizens should ideally be dashing out of their homes to get in line at health centres to get their children vaccinated. But, here, people are attacking those that brave all the storms to ensure that children are vaccinated. In the first nine months of 2024 (until September), at least 17 health workers, including lady health workers, were killed during polio vaccination drives across the country.

Besides apparent threats to their lives, there are other harassment issues that most health workers put up with in an attempt to honestly ensure that no child is left behind. Polio vaccine sceptics are ready to listen to baseless videos and fall for conspiracy theories, but they have bluntly refused to put trust in authorities. Last week, a polio worker was locked up in a flat in Nazimabad, Karachi, where she had gone to administer polio drops. Luckily, timely police intervention led to the safe recovery of the worker. Female health workers are not alone in this. Patriarchal norms in our society dictate that any woman who sets out her home is inviting disrespect. We cannot blame lack of education here. We had state representatives dismissive of a woman journalist when she pointed out how uncomfortable a party’s supporters were making her during a jalsa. Even on social media platforms, women journalists face indescribable abuse. In 2023 alone, 35 journalists filed a complaint with the Digital Rights Foundation. What is even more disappointing about this is that there is no fast-tracked mechanism for these journalists to file a complaint against this abuse on the state level. Such trolls hide behind the veil of anonymity and spew hate around the clock. Women political leaders also have to face the worst kind of harassment.

It is also unfortunate that women workers, especially those employed in low-paying jobs, are usually seen as someone deserving of disrespect. The Home-Based Women Workers Federation (HBWWF) revealed in November that 85 per cent of women workers in Pakistan experience harassment in the workplace. Then there are those from low-income backgrounds who do not only have to deal with the vultures lurking outside but also the conservative mindset of their abusive family members. There are other similar stories where women have had to deal with abuse because of the line of work they choose for themselves. Women are an integral part of our society, and they deserve protection. No one should be allowed to even think about hurting women in public spaces. Our public leaders must ensure that all genders feel safe and protected here. This is the only way forward to ensure an equitable society.