4 August 2020, NIICE Commentary 5772
Dr. Shabana Fayyaz
COVID-19 has critically impacted the strategic policymaking in almost all South Asian countries. The need to have an inclusive and proactive approach to confront this pandemic is felt all across the region including, Pakistan. This crises has once again highlighted costs of neglect in education, healthcare, social development and gender realm. Though constitutionally, state is a guarantor of human security aspects of its citizens but deeds seem to vary from the words. Why is it so, is a lengthy and complicated debate.
An understanding of gendered aspects of COVID -19 requires the exposition of contextual parameters in Pakistan. Women, though make up major chuck of population, have been long marginalized at the political, social, economic and legal levels. Innumerable initiatives have been introduced from time to time for the betterment of women across the board. Unfortunately, lot needs to be done.
Making women sit at the policymaking table is definitely a positive trend. The question however, is the level of team work that is required to filter the positives of such developments. Gender mainstreaming is an uphill tasks and requires patience at all strata of the society. Enhanced clarity and commitment at the highest level on proactive basis is desirable.
COVID-19 has impacted female in almost all aspects of the daily life. The pandemic has hit female population drastically in multifaceted ways: health, education, economic activities, business entrepreneurship, daily wagers, domestic workers, factory and micro and cottage industry and so on. The impact is also felt at the psychological well being of women. Issues of physical and mental harassment are also reported in media.
Against this backdrop, one cannot ignore the resilience of Pakistani women who are doing commendable job in fighting COVID-19 on war footing. They include, female doctors and paramedics as well as hospital management staffs (cleaners, midwives, and health workers – administering Polio Drops, etc). Despite the fact that they are being provided with some financial perks, the very fact of leaving ones family behind and working in health emergency – requires appreciation by all.
Parallel to this, education sector is one of the major female employers in Pakistan. The issue of girls education and reducing the drop-out level remains a big challenge. Its widely reported that girls sitting at home of 14 to 15 years of age may not register for schooling once situation normalizes, this is because marriage in remote areas is regarded as a better option than sending girls to school. The issues of sexual abuse and mental torture on the other hand cannot be whisked away.
However, in the urban areas online schooling is available only in the private schools. This brings in the reality of ‘education as expensive and private commodity’. Public schools are not equipped with online setup both in teacher training and student means (computer/internet) to overcome the ongoing challenge. At the public universities level, online classes are underway and students are facilitated with teaching methods – emails, post, audio lectures and so on.
The hardest hit area has been the economic sector. Women led businesses at the macro and micro level are under severe stress. Government has extended soft term loans to all medium and small enterprises to pay their workers’ wages. Important point to be noted here, is the massive number of female workforce is not in the national tax-net. This is specifically critical in areas of domestic workers, beauticians and cottage industry workers. Most have become unemployed and are facing economic, emotional and physical stress.
Against this backdrop, Imran Khan’s team is trying to fix the situation employing reactive and proactive measures at the same time. Unfortunately, political divisions at national, provincial and lower level have dented the policy implementations. The role of civil society groupings specifically women led are being ignored. Political considerations have marred the implementation of well-crafted policy gestures.
No specified gendered lens is employed in the anti-COVID-19 drive. The closure of female safety/shelter homes during lockdown is a serious matter and remains disputed in media reports. The pandemic has opened up new spaces for women to be agents of peace within the country and beyond. It is proposed that female Led Health Diplomacy can be initiated through SAARC for lasting and sustainable peace in South Asia. Likewise collaborative research by the South Asian female academicians focusing on Costs of COVID-19 amid gendered context – can be a viable study.
