Pakistan advocates for gender parity in developing countries

Pakistan has said the plight of women under foreign occupation, such as Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Palestine, is characterized by a myriad of challenges, ranging from systemic oppression to grave human rights violations.

At an event organized by Group of Friends in New York on Gender Parity to mark the International Women’s Day, Pakistan’s Permanent Representative to the UN Munir Akram said the women face increased vulnerability to violence, exploitation, and discrimination, as their rights are often violated with impunity, especially in a situation of foreign occupation.

Ambassador Munir Akram said the foreign occupation also restricts women’s access to education, healthcare, and economic opportunities, thus perpetuating cycles of poverty and disenfranchisement.

In Jammu and Kashmir, women have borne the brunt of the Indian occupation, emerging as both direct and indirect victims of state-sponsored violence.

The loss of loved ones, including husbands, brothers and sons, has given rise to a unique category known as ‘half-widows’ women trapped in the abeyance of uncertainty about the fate of their missing husbands.

The region buzzed with whispered tales of societal hurdles of half widows after their partners went missing.

This plight is compounded by the psychological trauma of rape and sexual assault, where victims face both the initial abuse and subsequent condemnation by patriarchal norms. The multifaceted impact of the sexual assault on women is evident in psychological, emotional, economic and educational spheres.