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Searching for Freedom, Chained by the Law
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| Contributor | ArmyDem |
| Last Edited | ArmyDem Aug 21, 2008 09:07am |
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| Category | News |
| Media | Newspaper - Washington Post |
| News Date | Thursday, August 21, 2008 03:00:00 PM UTC0:0 |
| Description | As Pakistani Women Assert Rights, Families Use Legal Means to Get Revenge
By Mary Jordan
Washington Post Foreign Service
Thursday, August 21, 2008; Page A01
RAWALPINDI, Pakistan -- Naheed Arshad, her bright green head scarf framing dull, brown eyes, had just endured nine months in prison on a charge of adultery.
"My husband accused me of having an affair," said Arshad, 35, her hand covering her mouth as she spoke quietly of the serious criminal charge that has disgraced her.
After a judge acquitted her in May, she joined thousands of other women living in a growing network of government and private shelters. She spends her days cooking, sewing and sad; despite the judge's verdict, the shame of the charge has narrowed her already-limited options in life.
It is rare for a Pakistani woman accused of having illicit sex to talk publicly or allow herself to be photographed. But Arshad spoke freely about once taboo subjects, saying repeatedly, "I have done nothing wrong."
"Why do I suffer?" Arshad asked. "It is just not fair."
Increasing numbers of Pakistani women are becoming aware of gender inequities, a trend emerging in many other parts of the developing world as the communications revolution brings cellphones, satellite television and the Internet to the poorest villages. In this South Asian country of 167 million, a key issue is laws and customs governing sexual conduct that sometimes date back centuries. |
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