prowomen bills

THE passage of two prowomen bills by the Senate on Monday should be lauded not only because the laws seek to protect women from brutal customs, but also because such laws in the past have faced strong opposition from parochial interests.

The bill for the prevention of acid crimes calls for a stiff prison term (14 years) and a heavy fine (Rsim) for those who commit these. Women are the primary victims of acid-throwing. Neelofar Bakhtiar, the lawmaker who piloted the bill, said 60 per cent of the victims were women. The other law targets horrific traditions such as marrying women to the Quran to prevent the division of family property as well as the practices of swara and vani, in which women are used as bargaining chips to settle disputes and married off to rivals. Lengthy prison sentences and heavy fines have also been proposed for these crimes.

Though the passage of the laws is welcome, thehard part will be their implementation. There is much weight in calls by women`s groups to set up an implementation commission it is quite common to put good laws on paper but there is little government will and no sturdy mechanism to get them enforced. Considering the widespread nature of such crimes in society, the creation of an implementation commission may be the spur required to put these laws into practice and strengthen the struggle to eradicate such appalling customs. It goes without saying that the framing of laws and their implementation is only the first step towards reforming society and ridding it of antiwomen practices. A continuous effort from all segments of society, including public condemnation of destructive traditions, is needed to create awareness. The challenge is considerable, but it is commendable that the initial steps to tackle it have been taken.