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Housemaid Sofia Barkat, in Lahore, Pakistan, was on leave when the security guard at the house where she worked was murdered.
Then unmarried, Sofia, who came from a poor Christian family, recalled: ‘The police picked me up and held me illegally for four days. A case was cooked up accusing me of having an affair with the house driver, and collaborating with him to kill the chowkidar [security guard].’
Fortunately for Sofia, her mother and sister contacted the Talitha Kumi Welfare Society (TKWS), a Christian-founded inter faith women’s support organisation. Legal documents were filed and Sofia was released.
Sofia continued: ‘After the incident my fiancé broke our engagement and my brother abandoned me. I was planning suicide when Madame Shunila took me in. During this time I completed a course in midwifery and worked voluntarily. I am now happily married. I’m glad that TKWS helped me when I had lost all hope.’
This story is just one of many told by Shunila Ruth, one of the directors of TKWS, an organisation founded in 2000 to reach out to women in Lahore’s slum areas.
According to Shunila: ‘Women in Pakistan live in a world that is structured around strict religious, family and tribal customs that essentially force them to live in submission and fear.
‘Women are typically denied the right to an education, and often have no say in matters of marriage and divorce. Poor girls and women are trafficked and subjected to forced marriage, prostitution or bonded labour. All of these situations cause harm mentally, physically and sexually, yet women fail to obtain justice.’
Rape is grossly under-reported
Studies have shown that the educational status of Pakistani women is among the lowest in the world, with 64.4 per cent illiteracy among girls, compared with 43.5 among boys. Rape is one of the most common crimes against women, but grossly under-reported.
‘A girl’s education is considered investment-with-no-return,’ said Shunila. ‘A woman’s position is clearly defined, restricted and controlled by men to ensure that she does not “dishonor” them and the family. Men consider themselves superior to women in social and religious matters.
‘Boys and girls are not treated equally. The birth of a girl is considered a disappointment, with the blame usually placed on the mother. Girls often die of childhood diseases due to negligence and malnutrition.’
Shunila continued: ‘In urban areas, women work as domestic or factory workers on low wages, becoming the victims of economic and sexual abuse. In rural areas, women work in the fields, with little or no wages.
‘Domestic violence is a problem of mammoth proportions. Every year, hundreds of women are burnt, mutilated, deformed, and killed.’
Christian women vulnerable to violence
Shunila said the plight of Christian women is no different. She said: ‘Most Christian women are uneducated, unskilled and unaware, mostly working as domestic servants or agriculture workers. Therefore, they are more vulnerable to violence and abuse. Often they are denied jobs for being Christians. There are many cases of Christian working women being kidnapped, raped and forcibly converted to Islam.’
Research shows 70 per cent of church congregations are women, yet women have nominal representation on parish/diocesan committees, few women are permitted to preach or study at theological colleges, and the ordination of women remains ‘a dream’, said Shunila.
‘Christian women in Pakistan are the minority of the minorities and the poorest of the poor. We want equal opportunities, access to education and healthcare, and even food for Christian girls who are the most likely to be deprived.’
She added: ‘Women’s work is an important ministry in a few dioceses in Pakistan, but more needs to done.’
Community Health, Pakistan
Women’s Centre in Trivandrum, South India
Leadership Training, Sri Lanka
Social Ministries Programme, Philippines
Posted on 08.03.2010
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