Interesting political changes in South Asia this week. The Prime Minister of Pakistan announced a 10 percent quota for women in civil service hiring. Now, the Pakistani President, Asif Ali Zardari, has signed into law the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill making it a criminal offense to engage in a broad range of actions that create a hostile work environment. Are we quickly moving behind South Asia on women's rights?
The law defines harassment as "any unwelcome sexual advance, request for sexual favours or other verbal and written communication or physical conduct of a sexual nature or sexually demeaning attitudes, causing interference with the work performance or creating an intimidating, hostile or offensive work environment, or the attempt to punish the complainant for refusal to comply to such a request or is made condition for employment."
Not what you might expect from a conservative Islamic country, where they appear to be giving us a run for our money on treating women as equals, at least in the law. Consider this, while our Congress Critters won't pass health care reform if it includes women's health, freaking PAKISTAN is busy making sure that women are protected from a hostile work environment.
Meanwhile, India passed a law setting a side a third of legislative seats in parliament for women in order to help undo over half a century of male dominated government.
"This is a momentous development in the long journey of empowering our women. Women are facing discrimination at home. There is domestic violence, unequal access to health and education. This has to end," India's prime minister, Manmohan Singh, said after legislators approved the bill. The new quotas, he said, will be "living proof that the heart of Indian democracy is sound and is in the right place."
Look at what the Pakistani President - whose wife, Benazir Bhutto, was assassinated in 2007 - said on the signing of the Protection Against Harassment of Women at Workplace Bill
He said history might remember him as a person who was "living a woman’s dream". It was her dream that a woman in power would bring in the soft touch that the world needed amidst too much horror and said "what we need to emulate is gentleness, perseverance and the quality to bear pain".
The president said both his sisters were members of parliament, while her two daughters would be back after completing their studies to serve the nation, along with their brother.
He paid rich tribute to the women who over the generations had strived for their rights since long and described them as "really a tribute to God’s divine creation."
He also lauded the role of women which they played in history and said all religions accord them due regard, dignity and honour.
"Let us mobilise the collective power of women to help make our country, the region and the world more tolerant and secure for all," he said.
I hope Obama is paying attention.