"Will Work Openly Like Any Man": How Pak Women Are Facing Economic Crisis
New Age Islam News Bureau
09 September 2024
• "Will Work Openly Like Any Man": How Pak Women Are Facing Economic Crisis
• Iranian Female Javelin Thrower Bags Bronze In Paris Paralympics
• West Bank Shooting: UN Calls For Full Inquiry Into Killing Of US-Turkish Woman Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
• The Observer View On Afghanistan: Britain And The US Are Complicit In The Taliban’s Oppression Of Women
• Aline Jalliet, Author: 'In Afghanistan, The Female Voice Itself Becomes An Act Of Dissent'
Compiled by New Age Islam News Bureau
URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pak-women-economic-crisis/d/133148
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"Will Work Openly Like Any Man": How Pak Women Are Facing Economic Crisis
Urban households in Pakistan have come under increasing financial pressure
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September 08, 2024
Karachi: Amina Sohail veers through heavy traffic to pick up her next passenger -- the sight of a woman riding a motorcycle drawing stares in Pakistan's megacity of Karachi. The 28-year-old is the first woman in her family to enter the workforce, a pattern emerging in urban households coming under increasing financial pressure in Pakistan.
I don't focus on people, I don't speak to anyone or respond to the hooting, I do my work," said Sohail, who joined a local ride-hailing service at the start of the year, transporting women through the dusty back streets of the city.
The South Asian nation is locked in a cycle of political and economic crises, dependent on IMF bailouts and loans from friendly countries to service its debt.
Prolonged inflation has forced up the price of basic groceries such as tomatoes by 100 per cent. Electricity and gas bills have risen by 300 per cent compared to July last year, according to official data.
Sohail used to help her mother with cooking, cleaning and looking after her younger siblings, until her father, the family's sole earner, fell sick.
"The atmosphere in the house was stressful," she said, with the family dependent on other relatives for money. "That's when I thought I must work."
Pakistan was the first Muslim nation to be led by a woman prime minister in the 1980s, women CEOs grace power lists in Forbes magazine, and they now make up the ranks of the police and military.
However, much of Pakistani society operates under a traditional code that requires women to have permission from their family to work outside of the home.
According to the United Nations, just 21 percent of women participate in Pakistan's work force, most of them in the informal sector and almost half in rural areas working in the fields.
"I am the first girl in the family to work, from both my paternal and maternal side," said Hina Saleem, a 24-year-old telephone operator at a leather factory in Korangi, Karachi's largest industrial area.
At the changeover of shifts outside the leather factory, workers arrive in painted buses decorated with chinking bells, with a handful of women stepping out amid the crowd of men.
Nineteen-year-old Anum Shahzadi, who works in the same factory inputting data, was encouraged by her parents to enter the workforce after completing high school, unlike generations before her.
"What is the point of education if a girl can't be independent," said Shahzadi, who now contributes to the household alongside her brother.
Bushra Khaliq, executive director for Women In Struggle for Empowerment (WISE) which advocates for political and economic rights for women, said that Pakistan was "witnessing a shift" among urban middle class women.
"Up until this point, they had been told by society that taking care of their homes and marriage were the ultimate objective," she told AFP.
Farzana Augustine, from Pakistan's minority Christian community, earned her first salary last year at the age of 43 after her husband lost his job during the Covid-19 pandemic.
The sprawling port metropolis of Karachi, officially home to 20 million people but likely many millions more, is the business centre of Pakistan.
It pulls in migrants and entrepreneurs from across the country with the promise of employment and often acts as a bellwether for social change.
Nineteen-year-old Zahra Afzal moved to Karachi to live with her uncle four years ago, after the death of her parents, leaving her small village in central-eastern Pakistan to work as a childminder.
"If Zahra was taken by other relatives, she would have been married off by now," her uncle Kamran Aziz told AFP, from their typical one room home where bedding is folded away in the morning and cooking is done on the balcony.
Source: Www.Ndtv.Com
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Iranian Female Javelin Thrower Bags Bronze In Paris Paralympics
An Iranian athlete, Elham Salehi, won a bronze medal in the Women’s Javelin Throw – F54 at the 2024 Paralympic Games.
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Sep 7, 2024
Paris, IRNA – Elham Salehi, the female Iranian javelin thrower has snatched the bronze medal of Para Athletics Women’s Javelin Throw – F54, as the 2024 Paralympics are underway in the French capital.
Salehi threw 16.24 meters to rank third following rivals from Uzbekistan and Nigeria.
Her Uzbekistani rival threw 21.12 meters to smash the Olympics and world record and win the gold medal.
The Iranian squad is now placed 17th in the medal tally of the competitions with 6 gold medals, 10 silver and 7 bronze ones.
Iran is present at the competitions with 66 athletes in 10 different sports events.
Source: En.Irna.Ir
https://en.irna.ir/news/85589665/Iranian-female-javelin-thrower-bags-bronze-in-Paris-Paralympics
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West Bank Shooting: UN Calls For Full Inquiry Into Killing Of US-Turkish Woman Aysenur Ezgi Eygi
By Zubair Amin
September 7, 2024
United Nations (UN) has called for a thorough investigation into the killing of a US-Turkish woman AysenurEzgiEygi in the West Bank during a protest on Friday. Local reports indicated that Eygi, 26, was shot by Israeli forces while participating in a weekly protest against the expansion of Jewish settlements in the town of Beita near Nablus.
Israel’s military stated that it was investigating reports of a foreign national being killed due to shots fired in the area. Responding to the incident, StéphaneDujarric, spokesperson for the UN secretary-general, expressed the need for a comprehensive investigation to ensure accountability. He emphasized the importance of protecting civilians at all times.
The US also called for an investigation, with White House National Security Council spokesman Sean Savett expressing Washington’s deep concern over the death of an American citizen. He confirmed that the US had reached out to the Israeli government for more information and requested an investigation into the circumstances.
Footage from the scene showed medics rushing Eygi into an ambulance shortly after the shooting. Jewish-Israeli activist Jonathan Pollak, present at the protest, described seeing soldiers aiming from a rooftop. He recalled hearing two shots, with a brief pause between them. Pollak added that he heard someone calling for help in English, and when he approached, he found Eygi lying beneath an olive tree, bleeding from her head. He attempted to stop the bleeding but found her pulse weak, noting a clear line of sight between the soldiers and their location.
Eygi, a dual national, had been attending her first protest with the International Solidarity Movement, a pro-Palestinian group. She was transported to a hospital in Nablus, where she was later pronounced dead. Dr. Fouad Nafaa, head of Rafidia Hospital, confirmed the death of a US citizen in her mid-20s from a gunshot wound to the head.
US Secretary of State Antony Blinken expressed sorrow over the “tragic loss,” while Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan condemned the Israeli action as “barbaric.” Turkey’s foreign ministry reported that Eygi had been killed by Israeli occupation forces in Nablus.
Before traveling to the Middle East, Eygi had recently graduated from the University of Washington in Seattle. University president Ana Mari Cauce described her death as devastating and acknowledged Eygi’s positive impact on her peers. Turkish media reported that Eygi was born in Antalya.
The Israel Defense Forces (IDF) released a statement saying that during an operation near Beita, forces had fired at a key instigator of violent activity who had thrown rocks at them and posed a threat. The IDF noted that they were reviewing the details of the incident, including how Eygi was hit.
Meanwhile, Israeli forces withdrew from Jenin city and its refugee camp in the West Bank after a major nine-day operation. According to the Palestinian health ministry, at least 36 Palestinians, including children, were killed during the operation, with most of the dead identified as members of armed groups.
Over the past 50 years, Israel has established settlements in the West Bank and East Jerusalem, now home to over 700,000 Jews. These settlements are considered illegal under international law by organizations like the UN Security Council and the UK government, though Israel disputes this interpretation.
The Turkish president, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, whose relations with Israel have deteriorated since the Hamas attacks on 7 October and the subsequent war in Gaza, expressed on X that he condemned Israel’s actions against a civilian protest in the West Bank. He prayed for mercy for AyşenurEzgiEygi, a Turkish citizen who lost her life in the attack.
Erdoğan stated that Turkey would continue to work on all platforms to end Israel’s occupation and policies, which he described as genocidal, and would seek to hold Israel accountable under international law for crimes against humanity.
Eygi was a recent graduate of the University of Washington in Seattle. Pramila Jayapal, the US representative for the region, commented that Eygi’s death was a “terrible tragedy” and that her office was actively working to gather more information on the circumstances surrounding the incident.
Jayapal expressed concern over reports that Eygi was killed by Israeli Defense Forces (IDF) soldiers. She criticized the Netanyahu government for its inaction regarding settlement expansion and settler violence in the West Bank, which she said were often encouraged by right-wing ministers. She further noted that the killing of an American citizen was a tragic example of the escalating tensions in the region.
All Israeli settlements in the West Bank are regarded as illegal under international law. Evyatar, partially built on Beita land seized in 2013, lacked Israeli government approval and was thus classified as an “outpost,” making it illegal under Israeli law. The Israeli courts have debated the fate of Evyatar for years, leading to frequent, notable protests from both Palestinians and settlers.
In April last year, a march at Evyatar advocating for the outpost’s legalization drew over 1,000 participants, including far-right government members like Itamar Ben-Gvir, Bezalel Smotrich, and Simcha Rothman. Last month, the Israeli cabinet legalized several outposts, including Evyatar.
Since 2021, human rights groups have reported that Israeli troops have killed at least 10 Palestinians, including two children, during protests related to Evyatar. Additionally, a US national volunteering with Palestinian residents was shot in the leg during a protest last month. The Israeli military stated that the man had been accidentally injured.
Violence by settlers against Palestinians in the West Bank has surged since October 7, forcing many communities to leave their homes. Palestinian officials and rights groups have consistently accused the IDF of either allowing or participating in settler attacks.
Source: Newsx.Com
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The Observer view on Afghanistan: Britain and the US are complicit in the Taliban’s oppression of women
8 Sep 2024
‘So pervasive is the Taliban’s institutionalised gender oppression, and so slender are the spaces in which women and girls may live freely, that in Afghanistan today almost any act can be characterised as an act of resistance.”
That conclusion from Richard Bennett, the UN special rapporteur on human rights in Afghanistan, encapsulates how unbearably suffocating it is to be female in Afghanistan today: excluded from education and from running a business; forbidden from going outside for a walk or to exercise, to speak or show any part of their face or body outside the home; or even for their voices to be heard singing or reading from within their own home. There is no other country where women and girls are so oppressed on the basis of their sex.
The US and the UK are complicit in this oppression. Their abrupt withdrawal from Afghanistan in 2021 triggered the collapse of the Afghan government under which the situation for women and girls was improving. This paved the way for the predictable takeover of the country by the Taliban. Since then, it has withdrawn even the most basic human rights of women and girls.
Last month, it published a set of more extreme “vice and virtue” laws prohibiting women from speaking or showing their faces outside their homes, or being heard from within their home by those outside it. The rules of the Taliban’s ministry for the propagation of virtue and the prevention of vice – sometimes issued only verbally – lack clarity and consistency, while failure to adhere to them can lead to severe punishments including beatings, public lashing, enforced disappearances and killings. In July, the Guardian reported that it had seen video evidence of a female Afghan human rights activist being gang-raped and tortured in a Taliban prison. Afghanistan ranks bottom in the Women Peace and Security Index of 177 countries in relation to women’s rights, justice and security.
Despite this intolerable situation – in which exercising the most basic of liberties can get women and girls killed – there is an active resistance movement, involving huge acts of bravery. Women are confronting the Taliban on the street, advocating to represent themselves at the UN, setting up education organisations, and posting acts of resistance online.
Yet they have been let down again by the failure of liberal democracies to take action against the Taliban. In June, the UN held a conference on Afghanistan and acceded to the Taliban’s demands that Afghan women be excluded. Afghanistan under the Taliban is not being treated as the international pariah that it should be; the country continues to be a full member of the International Cricket Council, for example, despite not having a national women’s team that is a requirement of membership. After withdrawing from Afghanistan in 2021, the previous Conservative government relocated just 2,000 Afghans through its resettlement schemes, despite pledging to bring 20,000 – including female human rights activists. Afghan women are right to feel as if the west has abandoned them, and is effectively ignoring their brutal oppression.
After a campaign involving Afghan women and international human rights organisations, the UN special rapporteur has recommended that the UN codify the crime against humanity of “gender apartheid” in international law. This would not only strengthen the normative legal framework around the extreme oppression of women and girls based on their sex; it would place more of a duty on other countries to prevent and punish those like the Taliban who enforce it. This proposal will be discussed by the UN general assembly’s legal committee next month.
Countries must heed this call, and our government must do everything within its sphere of influence to ensure that this happens.
Source: Www.Theguardian.Com
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Aline Jalliet, author: 'In Afghanistan, the female voice itself becomes an act of dissent'
08-09-2024
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Why, after having already covered them from head to toe, prevented them from working, learning, playing music, walking in parks, looking men in the eye, or traveling alone, are they going as far as to deprive women of their voice? "The voice is like the sign of life," said Afghan journalist Hamina Adam on France Culture radio channel on August 27. "It's just another way of killing us even more. It's a way of destroying what little self-esteem women have left."
Since the Taliban returned to power in Afghanistan in August 2021, women's rights have been reduced to nothing. Thousands of women have been barred from the jobs they once held, and thousands of young girls have been excluded from school or university. Forced to stay at home, isolated from each other, they are increasingly living as prisoners.
The new law passed on August 22 further reinforces these restrictions, outright banning women's voices from public spaces. Women are forbidden to sing, recite poems, read aloud in public, or even just talk. When leaving their homes, women are now required to cover their mouths with masks and ensure that their voices are not heard.
"The mere sound of a woman’s voice outside the home is apparently considered a moral violation," said Roza Otunbayeva, head of the UN assistance mission in Afghanistan, on TV5 Monde on August 26. In a country where women must avoid the gaze of men, their voice was their last mark of individual identity, which the Taliban reduced to a seductive lure. If the voice demands the attention of the ear, it also attracts the eye like a magnet. Requiring women to remain silent in public spaces makes them transparent, blending into the background; it's easy to forget they're there.
Let's take a look at Iran where, since the 1979 revolution, women have been forbidden to sing solo on stage in front of men or mixed audiences. Ayat Najafi's film No Land's Song (2014) documents the long struggle of the director's sister, Iranian composer Sara Najafi, to organize a women's concert in Tehran in 2013, with the support of French singers Jeanne Cherhal and Elise Caron. As Najafi says in the movie, making women's voices heard in a country where they are disappearing is "the most revolutionary act you can perform."
Source: Www.Lemonde.Fr
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URL: https://www.newageislam.com/islam-women-feminism/pak-women-economic-crisis/d/133148