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Begin New Search Topic Gender Based Violence Political Geography South Asia

1. Honour Killings of Women in Punjab: A Socio-Political Context

Author:
Afshan Kiran Imtiaz, Farah Malik, and Raana Malik
Publication Date:
07-2019
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
South Asian Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
This study examined the relationship between the violent practice of honour killing and the role of the socio-cultural institution, such as, the law-makers, i.e., politicians about the reinforcement of this customary practice. The qualitative method has been used to get the in-depth information about the subjective experiences and perceptions of various politicians. By employing purposive sampling comprising of five representatives from the law-makers, i.e., politicians who were working with the cases of the honour killings of women, data were taken from the largest province of Punjab. The Interpretative phenomenological approach (IPA) was used to analyze the semi-structured interviews of various participants. This study discussed the collusion of politicians with other functionaries, lack of effective law enforcement by the police force and the failure of the criminal justice system in combating the honour violence committed against women in Punjab. The resolution of the problem involves the change of mindset of all the associated stakeholders. Various measures have been advocated to address the honour crime through the execution of the relevant policy strategies and pertinent legislation.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Law Enforcement, Women, Gender Based Violence, and Legislation
Political Geography:
Pakistan, South Asia, and Punjab

2. The Socio-political Construction of 'Honor' in the Patriarchal Society of Pakistan

Author:
Farwa Qazalbash, Muhammad Islam, and Irshad Ullah
Publication Date:
07-2019
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
South Asian Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
This study aims to analyze how the notion of „honor‟ is usually constructed in Pakistani society. Using the script of an Oscar-winning documentary by Sharemeen Obaid Chinoy, A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness, the researchers have investigated how various socio-political norms, linguistic tools, and strategies have been used to construct the issue of honor killing in a typical Pakistani patriarchal society. A set of tools offered by Critical Discourse Analysis (CDA) practitioners (e.g. Fairclough, 1992, Van Dijk, 2006, Gee, 2011 and Reisigl and Wodak, 2000) helped the researchers to find that the concept of „honor‟, as social actors of the documentary view it, does not seem to be rooted in moral or religious codes rather it is a metaphor for political and social approval. Interestingly, only women are objectified as the carriers of this concept. They are conceived as the agents of disrespect or the violators of „honor‟ if an untoward incident happens. These attitudes clearly comment on the political power struggle between genders, which need in-depth investigations in Pakistani society. The analytical framework of this study may be used to analyze media discourse and discriminatory socio-political norms/attitudes in South Asian societies.
Topic:
Women, Media, Gender Based Violence, and Violence
Political Geography:
Pakistan, South Asia, and Punjab

3. Break the Silence: Pakistani Women Facing Violence

Author:
Rukhsana Iftikhar and Maqbool Ahmad Awan
Publication Date:
07-2019
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
Journal of Political Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
Women have always been treated as second grade citizen in Pakistan. Pakistan is considered the 3rd unsafe country for women to live. Pakistani women are facing problems in their private and public life. Violence is the most thriving issue for the women in Pakistan. The main reason of the wide spread violence is poverty and ignorance. Social structure is not supporting woman although gender ratio of population is more than half. This paper is an attempt to explore the causes and types of violence in Pakistan. It also deals with the effects of violence in society. State has introduced a number of legislations but the common woman in Pakistan is conscious about her rights. The state of Pakistan is not progressed without the help of other gender. State and women both have to take the task to eradicate the issue of violence.
Topic:
Gender Issues, Women, Gender Based Violence, and Violence
Political Geography:
Pakistan and South Asia

4. Incidence and Dynamism of Sexual Harassment in South Asian Students

Author:
Zobia Kanwal and Muhammad Aamir Hashmi
Publication Date:
01-2017
Content Type:
Journal Article
Journal:
South Asian Studies
Institution:
Department of Political Science, University of the Punjab
Abstract:
Sexual harassment has become social evil in the modern era throughout the world. It is continuously raised with the passage of time among university students and teachers. Especially female students are facing such kinds of negative activities at the workplace. Some female students create an attraction for male students at higher educational sector in Pakistan because it is natural phenomenon because it is true that the esthetic sense exists in the nature of female. It is noted that sexual harassment has become a common issue in every field of life. Especially from the social and cultural aspects it has become a dilemma of our society. It is also found in educational institutions. It is against the dignity of humanity and especially for family ownership. The female students cannot take the report because they do not want to be mistrusted in front of their guardians. The purpose of this study is to investigate the feelings and responses of harassed students on facing sexual harassment on the university premises. Empirical data were collected from 260 students (144 male and 116 female) of 12 departments of University of the Punjab, Pakistan. A stratified random sampling technique was used to collect the data. A questionnaire of 53 items was developed and tested. All the questions were close ended, based on five point Likert scale (from strongly agreed to strongly disagreed). The reliability of the questionnaire was 0.83. Findings of this paper show that seldom complaints were reported on sexual harassment faced by the students in the university. They reported that the male students code such kinds of negative and sexual comments and use vulgar language towards female students. A great care is to be taken for this concern on large scale. It is recommended that awareness sessions should be conducted for the students and the faculty and trainings should be provided. Along with formal policies, the informal culture of the higher education institute should facilitate the victims in preventing and seeking justice
Topic:
Crime, Education, Gender Issues, Women, and Gender Based Violence
Political Geography:
Pakistan, South Asia, India, and Punjab

5. The Effect of Violence on Women’s Electoral and Political Participation in Bangladesh

Author:
Silja Paasilinna, Sue Palmer-Wetherald, and Megan Ritchie
Publication Date:
04-2017
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
International Foundation for Electoral Systems
Abstract:
Women in Bangladesh are uniquely impacted by pervasive violence in the country’s electoral process, as voters, candidates, political party supporters and activists. To explore the effect of electoral violence on women’s meaningful participation, the International Foundation for Electoral Systems (IFES) convened seven focus groups of Bangladeshi women in 2013 and 2015 to discuss electoral violence they have experienced both in the home and in the public sphere. Under the “Bangladesh Election Support Activities” (BESA) Program, IFES has worked through two key channels to engage interested stakeholders in preventing electoral violence, sharing information on the causes of conflict and promoting peaceful political processes:
Topic:
Gender Issues, Elections, Women, Gender Based Violence, and Participation
Political Geography:
Bangladesh, South Asia, and Asia

6. Gender Bias in Education During Conflict: Evidence From Assam

Author:
Sutanuka Roy and Prakarsh Singh
Publication Date:
11-2016
Content Type:
Working Paper
Institution:
Center for the Advanced Study of India
Abstract:
Using a large-scale novel panel dataset (2005–14) on schools from the Indian state of Assam, we test for the impact of violent conflict on female students’ enrollment rates. We find that a doubling of average killings in a district-year leads to a 13 per cent drop in girls’ enrollment rate with school fixed effects. Additionally, results remain similar when using an alternative definition of conflict from a different dataset. Gender differential responses are more negative for lower grades, rural schools, poorer districts, and for schools run by local and private unaided bodies.
Topic:
Education, Gender Issues, and Gender Based Violence
Political Geography:
South Asia, India, and Asia