The World Sindhi Institute

Speech by Marvi Rind

This is a true life-story of a young Baloch woman from Khash, 145 km from Zahidan, in the heartland of Iranian (western) Balochistan. She was married according to local customs with her cousin. The arranged marriage was nothing new in that society and in the years that followed, the couple became parents to two children. The turn of tragic events occurred when one day the husband got intoxicated with alcohol and thus started an argument with his wife which resulted in war of words. The husband in a state of fury verbally divorced her and left the home. The very next day, after realizing what he had done, he went back to his wife and she couldn’t stop him from entering the house. Unfortunately, by then, the issue of verbal divorce had already come to the knowledge of their uncles, who took this meeting of husband and wife as an extra marital affair. The husband was taken at gun point out side the village and shot dead. The uncles then returned to the home where the unfortunate woman was hiding in fear with her two children. She was shot in the head and died immediately. This criminal act of double murder on behalf of the uncles was never reported to the government and thus the murderers went free to date. This tragic event took place in the year 2006. 

Today, many issues threaten the quality of life for those living in Balochistan and Sindh. Although one of the most significant issues that is disrupting the progression of these areas, is the status of women. The situation of these women has only gotten worse with time and there are many reasons to blame for this. A women’s voice often goes unheard in Balochistan, and Sindh, leaving her a helpless victim of rape and spousal abuse. Women are generally treated as second class citizens and can only dream of having rights equal to their male counterparts. Men dominate almost every aspect of life, which is true for all women, all over the world.

However, Baloch and Sindhi women are in a far worse condition than most others in Pakistan. This is in part because of national, cultural, and traditional affairs. Women are not given adequate protection or rights that they deserve and require. But, change can come to women of these areas, if they are given an opportunity to voice their opinions and participate in the development of their society.

Women in Balochistan and Sindh are by far the most oppressed group in Pakistan, suffering from oppression at a national level as well as gender and class discrimination. So, why should these women not have an opportunity to bring positive change and to represent themselves equally without fear of persecution? Seeing as women do play an integral role in contributing to society, economically, socially and in many other ways.

The lack of education can be a prominent factor in women’s subordination. Ultimately women’s empowerment begins and ends with education and the importance of it is not stressed enough in some communities. It is understandable that women must tend to their families but that is no excuse for them to be subject to low status living conditions.

People generally learn from what they live, and if no one has ever seen a women rise against her oppressor whoever that may be, then they have never witnessed hope. With education comes hope, hope of a better life for future generations of Baloch and Sindhi women and people everywhere. Because when you think of it, this program today was assembled by people who are educated, and therefore took a genuine interest in what was going on around them. Being educated on the issue brings awareness to the problem and from this change can occur. When you educate a woman you also educate her children, and therefore invest in a brighter future for both women and men.

I hope you learned a lot from today’s speakers, and take home a greater sense of awareness, the importance of education, as well as a broader sense respect for women and their roles in our lives. I know I will.

Thank You