Islamabad
Videos with derogatory language about women’s rights to education and freedom have gone viral on social media in Pakistan. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) condemned these views by religious leaders, calling it ‘deep-seated misogyny’. The HRCP noted that clerics urged parents to pull daughters out of school, associating schooling with ‘obscenity’.
A video denouncing the use of mobile phones by women was also highlighted by the HRCP. It stated that such videos use derogatory language and could incite violence against women. The HRCP emphasized that this misogyny must be curtailed, pointing out that 12 million girls are out of school and there are high rates of violence against women in Pakistan.
The government was urged by the HRCP to prevent these narratives from spreading, as education and freedom are constitutionally protected rights for females in Pakistan. The HRCP called for strong public service messages to uphold girls’ right to education and women’s digital rights.
A report released last October highlighted that around 70 percent of women who graduated from engineering programs in Pakistan are either unemployed or not working. Data showed that only 28 percent of these graduates remain in the workforce, with significant differences between rural and metropolitan areas. In rural areas, 43.9 percent of graduates had a job, while 36.3 percent were unemployed. In metropolitan areas, 16.8 percent were unemployed, and 24 percent were employed. A significant number, 59.2 percent, did not enter the workforce.
