What does ‘lightly beating’ mean?
By Sreekanth A. Nair
A draft law released by an Islamic religious body is the center point of discussion in Pakistan because of the anti-women clauses contained in it.
A draft of the bill released by Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) on Thursday says that husband can “lightly beat” wife if they do not obey the orders of their husband, reported AFP.
“A husband should be allowed to lightly beat his wife if she defies his commands and refuses to dress up as per his desires; turns down the demand of intercourse without any religious excuse or does not take a bath after intercourse or menstrual periods,” AFP quoted the bill as saying.
The draft has many clauses that ban women from appearing on television and in advertisement campaigns, from treating male medical patients. It also recommends allowing husbands to forbid their wives from seeing any men besides their relatives.
The Pakistani media came down heavily on the draft condemning the anti-women proposals it contained.
The country’s biggest newspaper Dawn published a satirical article on the draft. The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) criticized the draft and termed the recommendations ridiculous.
“It is difficult to comprehend why anyone in his right mind would think that any further encouragement or justification is needed to invite violence upon women in Pakistan,” the HRCP said.
Though CII has constitutional status, the draft is non-binding. The council was criticized in 2013 when it said DNA test should be made unacceptable evidence in rape cases. Instead, it recommended invoking an Islamic law that makes it the obligation of the victim to produce four witnesses to support their claim.
The CII had earlier criticized the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Bill that was passed in February.