Behind the Veil of Tradition

http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,2016193,00.html

Who would have thought that floods weren’t the most devastating thing to hit Pakistan? It is what is happening as a result of these floods that makes your skin crawl.

Pakistani woman, especially those from the regions that have been the hardest hit by floods, are facing the toughest time. A practice called Parda or Purdah meaning ‘curtain’ is the practice of shielding women from men, either physically or through the use of clothing to cover one’s body. This practice is not followed by all Pakistani’s but In the northern province of Pakistan, where the floods have ravaged the land and left countless in ‘refugee’ camps, the practice of Parda is particularly prevalent.

Parda is about family honor (hence the separation of men from women).When a woman dishonors her family or husband, he has the right to defend his honor, either by fighting off other men or by killing his wife or daughter.

Usually women in Parda can remain secluded within their houses, avoiding any interactions that may dishonor their families. However, the tented camps and communal living is creating great distress for these women as they are forced to mix with strange men. Time states that these honor killings are a weekly occurrence within these camps.

Honor Killings! I know a lot of women who would be dead by now. Including me. I’m pretty sure I would have received one to the chest for pinching that cute boys bum that one time at varsity.
This comment has to fall into the category of ‘thank goodness you live in South Africa’-or any free democracy for that matter. Having to remain in hiding avoiding human contact is bad enough. Being murdered because a strange man spoke to you is atrocious. These women are like sitting ducks. It doesn’t seem to matter what they do or don’t do. Even words spoken by some strange man can result in their deaths.

Talk about Human rights abuses. But how do you put a stop to ancient ‘traditions’. It is a fine line to walk between stopping traditions that are outright wrong and infringing on the freedom of those to practice culture and religion. Herein lies the problem, no international body, country or legal group wants to get involved in this touchy subject. It is far too controversial and can cause massive damage to relationships between countries and bodies trying to govern through consensus. If they step on these toes, they may have to face the whole beast.

Unfortunately, No one wants to unveil these traditions and see the darkness lurking beneath.