The 16 Days of Activism against Gender-Based Violence is commemorated each year from November 25, the International Day for the Elimination of Violence Against Women, to December 10, the International Human Rights Day, in a bid to call for the prevention and elimination of violence against women and girls. The purpose of such commemorative days is not only to generate awareness among the masses but also to force tangible change and bring into being mechanisms that allow for safer communities for the marginalised, including women and girls.

We have a long way to go before we can claim decent progress on this front. Promises of political will and institutional change have long been celebrated as progress and success in the long fight to a better and safer community for women. However, we continue to face the greater challenges of matching words with action, of transforming primitive institutional practices and of cultivating a progressive societal mindset. At the heart of Pakistan’s violence-against-women problem lies its resistance to abandoning its patriarchal identity – one that dictates stereotypical gender roles and one that justifies violence against women who refuse to fall in line.

In more ways than one, the society uses the “she asked for it” mantra to ignore crimes and violence perpetuated against women for being just that – women. Victim-blaming is so deeply entrenched that it is seen as a prevalent undertone not just among the masses but also the country’s institutional elite. The justification of violence against women, whether it be to “tame” women or to “teach them a lesson” or because they decided to be present in public spaces or voice their thoughts or live their lives according to their will – the just-because defence – has always been an ugly reality. It remains largely denied. This week, we hold the mirror up and urge for reflection.