Abstract:
There exists a conflict between the constitutional commitment to equality and the
politicization of Islam in both the official
law and the traditional law. Although the
fundamental rights chapter of the Constitution guarantees equality before the
law, the pursuit of gender equality has often
been sacrificed to religious-‐cultural assertions that define and often limit women’s status. Culturally, women are viewed
inferior to men, due to deep-‐rooted mores and customs. These sentiments mirror into the
reality
of
daily
life
where
women
seem
to
be
bound
by
a
different
set
of
social
and
legal
rules.
In
Pakistan,
as
elsewhere,
there
exists
a
gendered
division
between
the
public
and
private
spheres,
which
has
greatly
assisted
to
shield
and
protect
abusive,
violent
practices.
The
local
context
is
therefore
a
motivating
factor
for
the
women’s
movement
in
Pakistan.
The
pursuit
of
gender
equality
can
thrive best
if
women
are
guaranteed
of
an
equal
right
to
participate
in
the
definition
of
fundamental
rights
and
freedoms
implemented
into
the
legal
processes,
and
are
also
actively
in
the
process
of
the
renegotiation
of
religious
and
cultural
norms.
This
study
seeks
to
contextualize
and
analyze
the
various
representative
discourses
in
order
to
come
to
an
understanding
of
the
possible
cultural,
religious,
and
historical
reasons
that
create
the
circumstances
for
a
family
member
to
kill
or
hurt
a
female
member,
often
in
the
name
and
sake
of
family
honor.
Honor
crimes
and
the
laws
and
procedures
around
honor
killings
will
serve
as
a
central
study
for
this
thesis,
but
the
related
violent
act
of
acid
throwing
will
also
be
considered
in
the
scope
of
physical
violence.
Pakistan
is
in
a
state
of
flux,
and
women
are
playing
an
increasingly
active
role
in
the
country’s
social,
political,
and
legal
transformation.
The
judiciary
could
perform
an
important
role
in
bringing
justice
to
the
victims
of
gender
violence
such
as
honor
crimes,
and
in
curbing
crimes
of
physical
violence
against
women.
Within
Pakistan’s
civil
society,
women
activists
are
advocating
the
implementation
of
strategies
to
limit
gender
violence,
actively
engaging
in
a
process
to
build
a
judicial
framework
that
eliminates
the
inequality
and
discrimination
against
women
based
on
religious
and
cultural
norms
that
contribute
to
the
perpetuation
of
gender
violence.
