The swat valley located in the scenic northern region of Pakistan is known for its breathtaking landscape and rich cultural historical heritage. However about this picture of Swat lies a complex challenges faced by women which are deeply rooted in cultural , social and economic factors. The women’s of swat encounter numerous issues which results in gender inequality and ongoing battles.
First and foremost the issue of disempowerment leads them to not having an access to roles in their own society which particularly results in poverty and low level of confidence. Additionally another cause for disempowerment is education, they do not have proper institutes to learn or embrace any skill, they have very limited access to education because of cultural norms , Safety concerns and lack of schools.
However another matter which links with education is mindset of people , people of Swat do not let their women go out of the house freely this is because of the violence that has been happening over time which includes arriving of Talibans this has severely impacted their freedom and safety , human trafficking and harassment, there is lack of legal protection for women which results in insecurity and trauma.Moreover they do not have quality healthcare services and lack of female healthcare providers this harms their personal life somehow leading to increase in death rate.
Although women of Swat deals with cultural standards too which includes early marriages, In early marriages girls are often married off at a young age which restricts their education and self development. Another cultural decision which has been installed in the mind of people says that cultural prioritizes male authority and decision making which limits women roles to household duties.Economic oppurtunities for women are scarce, gender roles and tradition limits their participation in workforce.
Furthermore women are underrepresented in Political offices , this can result in policies and laws that do not address women’s issues.Therefore there are reserved seats for women in local government but they are not fully implemented. Despite this women in Swat are legally allowed to vote but there ability to practice this right is not fulfilled because they often face difficulties in registration due to lack of documentation and restriction on mobility. Many women cannot make it to the polling stations because of the limited access to the transportation and security concerns.
However Pakistani government has launched various schemes to improve girls education including the construction of new schools . There are various NGOs such as Aga khan development network they have implemented programs to improve health services in Swat.
Like these ,there are many developments made for a better future.
In conclusion these efforts face ongoing challenges due to limited resources . Continued support and well doing programs would help make a better society and it is important to create lasting improvements for women’s rights in Swat Pakistan.
BY: Musfira Saeed
