PAKISTAN: The Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights (NWDJR) is not only deeply concerned but fiercely angered at yet another instance of brutal domestic violence by the male members of the journalist community. This time, the alleged perpetrator is an influential media person, an ARY anchor named Ashfaque Ishaq Satti. 

 

Enough is enough; we are appalled at the criminal justice systems and institutions permeated with patriarchy that condone violence against women, dismissing it as a mere “personal or private dispute.” Domestic violence is criminalised in Pakistan under the Domestic Violence (Protection and Prevention) Act 2020. Additionally, the dignity of an individual is a fundamental right protected in the Constitution of Pakistan, and dismissing it as “a personal” matter is incongruous when the law specifically safeguards it as a human right. Domestic violence is the result of deep-rooted political structures and power dynamics that are intrinsically oppressive and patriarchal. We strongly believe that the personal is political, and for women, the challenges they face in their personal lives--the double shift due to inequitable distribution of care and domestic work, violence within the home, harassment in work and public places, online abuse directed at them--impacts and often puts their lives in danger. 

 

We have not forgotten the murder of Shaheena Shaheen at the hands of her husband, another perpetrator from the media fraternity. NWJDR has also received individual testimonies from its members of women journalists who are facing severe domestic abuse and violence from their partners who are also part of the media industry, and holding influential positions. Through the countless testimonies we have received, we foresee a new and dangerous trend of male journalists perpetrating violence in their relationships, highlighting a bleak picture that needs urgent action. 

 

As reported by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) in 2020, over 90% of Pakistani women have faced domestic violence in their lifetime. According to a media report in Express Tribune in 2022, “data released under the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013, cases of domestic violence saw an increase in the last five years. Same is the situation in courts; an estimated forty percent of cases in courts are family cases, and the remaining sixty percent involve crimes like murder, kidnapping and theft. For example, if a court has 150 total cases for hearing, at least eighty-five cases are family cases, mainly of violence”. How many more women will have to become victims of domestic abuse for it to be taken seriously? 

 

Domestic violence is often an underreported crime due to the stigma surrounding it and because of the lack of accessibility to complaint mechanisms for victims. Women are not believed; even when they provide evidence of abuse there is a hue and cry on how there are “two sides” to the story. How men use influence in cases of domestic violence to evade accountability and impunity is not uncommon. Law enforcement agencies, including the police, also force the survivors of abuse to reach a settlement outside the court, again reiterating how a “private” matter should remain within the confines of the house and associating ‘family honor’ with a woman’s dignity and identity. 

 

The concerns that women face should be taken seriously and acted upon, and in cases where male journalists are involved, media outlets as well as the government must respond immediately to ensure that influence is not exercised to evade legal action.  State inaction sends a message to women that they are on their own and in the long term discourages them from speaking up against abuse and filing a complaint. The challenges that women face before they actually speak up are already humongous; from living in close proximity with the perpetrators who are constantly surveilling their physical movement and devices to going back to the same house after registering a complaint can cost women their lives.  

 

Additionally NWJDR acknowledges and appreciates the step taken by ARY Management to immediately suspend Ashfaq Satti till the law takes its course and decides the matter. It is a promising step on how our society should have zero tolerance for violence against women. However, a lot more needs to be done before to prevent the menace of domestic violence in our country.

 

We, the undersigned, demand the following:

 

1. We call upon media outlets to thoroughly investigate allegations against their personnel and take prompt and decisive action against individuals found guilty of domestic violence. Media organizations must not shield perpetrators and should instead prioritize the safety and well-being of women who are subjected to human rights abuses.
2. We urge law enforcement agencies, especially the police, to handle cases of domestic violence with the seriousness they deserve. Survivor complaints should be thoroughly and impartially investigated, and survivors should not be coerced into settling outside the court. The police should actively pursue legal action against perpetrators, ensuring that the law is applied without influence or bias.
3. We call upon the National Commission of Human Rights (NCHR) to proactively intervene in cases of domestic violence, particularly those involving perpetrators from the media industry. This includes conducting independent investigations into reported incidents, ensuring the protection of survivors, and holding perpetrators accountable under the law.
4. We urge press clubs and journalist unions to actively condemn such grave incidents and avoid using their influence to silence or pressure women survivors of domestic violence to save male members of the media fraternity. These organizations must prioritize the safety and well-being of their members over protecting individuals accused of such heinous acts.
5. Domestic abuse leaves a lasting impact on mental health and well being of the victim. The government must provide free psychological assistance to the victims.
6. Healthcare in Pakistan is not easy and free to obtain especially when a case has been registered with the police. The government must ensure setting up sections in hospitals where victims are provided with free medical treatment.

 

Signatures:

	Name	Organization	Location
1	Bushra Iqbal	Multimedia Journalist	Islamabad
2	Laiba Zainab	The Current	Lahore
3	Madiha Abid Ali	Anchor Person  PTV News	Islamabad
4	Khalida Niaz	sub editor TNN	Peshawar
5	Lubna Jerar Naqvi	Freelance Journalist	Karachi
6	Zeenat Bibi	Freelance  Journalist	Peshawar
7	Asma Sherazi	Senior Anchor, journalist	Islamabad
8	Zainab Durrani	Senior Program Manager DRF
9	Xari Jalil	Editor/Co-founder, Voicepk	Lahore
10	Afshan Mansab	Native media	Lahore
11	Saddia Mazhar	DW Urdu
12	Umaima Ahmed	Global Voices	Lahore
13	Mahwish Fakhar	Dawn TV	Islamabad
14	Saeeda Salarzai	Freelance
15	Unbreen Fatima	Freelance Journalist	Karachi
16	Fozia Ghani	Freelance	Lahore
17	Ayesha Saghir	Express News	Lahore
18	Fahmidah Yousfi	Rava Documentary	Karachi
19	Salma jehangir	TNN	Peshawar
20	Sheeama Siddiqui	Geo	Karachi
21	Pernia Khan	Freelance	Lahore
22	Mahjabeen abid	Pakistan Television	Multan
23	Tanzeela Mazhar	GTV	Islamabad
24	Tayyaba Nisar Khan	PTV World	Islamabad
25	Ayesha Khalid	Comms Manager, Media Matters for Democracy
26	Rabia Mushtaq	Geo.tv	Karachi
27	Afia Salam	Environmental journalist	Karachi
28	Fatima Razzaq,	Journalist, CEO Lok Sujag
29	Samina Chaudhary	APP	Islamabad
30	Tehreem Azeem	Freelance	Lahore
31	Bilal Azmat	SM Executive   Dawn	Islamabad
32	Bushra Pasha	DW	Karachi
33	Moazzam Bhatti	Freelance journalist	Islamabad
34	Zoya Anwer,	Freelance Journalist
35	Miranda Husain,	Editor and Journalist	Lahore
36	Fauzia Kalsoom Rana	Founder and Convenor Women journalists Association of Pakistan WJAP	Islamabad
37	Islam Gul Afridi	Correspondent,Special broadcasting Services	Peshawar
38	Dr. Rabia Noor	ARY News	Lahore
39	Sanam junejo	APP	Islamabad
40	Nabila Feroz Bhatti	Freelance Journalist	Lahore
41	Asma Kundi,	wenews.pk
42	Maryam Nawaz	Geo news	Islamabad
43	Xari Jalil	Voice.pk	Lahore
44	Sabahat Khan	Freelance	Islamabad
45	Sarah B. Haider	Freelance journalist	Islamabad
46	Mahnoor shakeel	Freelance journalist	Mardan
47	Ambreen Sikander	GTV News	Karachi
48	ShaziaMehboob	ThePenPk.com/Express Tribune	Islamabad
49	Aneela Ashraf	Freelance Journalist & Founder Journalists Save Movement	Multan
50	Sumeira Ashraf	Head of assignment and planning at 24 news HD	Islamabad
51	Shawaiz Tahir	Samaa Tv	Islamabad
52	Beena Sarwar	Founder Editor, Sapan News Network	Boston
53	Ali Jabir Malik	Reporter, APP	Islamabad
54	Haya Fatima Iqbal	Co Founder, Documentary Association of Pakistan
55	Syeda Mehr Mustafa	Freelancer
56	Zeenat Shehzadi	Investigative Journalist
57	Zunaira Rafi	We News Urdu
58	Sophia Siddiqui	Chief Editor Glory Magazine	Islamabad
59	Maryam Saeed	Editor Digital 50.50 Digital Rights Foundation
60	Mehr F Husain	Editor, The Friday Times/ Publisher, ZUKA	Lahore/Dubai
61	Kainat Malik	Chief Editor Jamal e jahan	Rajanpur
62	Wajeeha aslam	Samaa news manager special project	Lahore
63	Rabia Anum	Tv Host
64	Marian Sharaf Joseph	Freelance Journalist	Lahore
65	Ismat Jabeen	DW Correspondent	Islamabad
66	Shinza nawaz	PTV	Islamabad
67	Ali Tanoli	Geo News	Islamabad
68	Nadir Guramani	Anchor, journalist, Dawn news	Islamabad
69	Qurrat ul Ain Shirazi	Roving CorrespondentThe Independent Urdu	Islamabad
70	Fatima Ali	Correspondent Independent Urdu	Lahore
71	Fauzia Yazdani
72	Beenish Javed	Freelance journalist	Islamabad /Berlin
73	Jamaima Afridi	Freelance Journalist
74	Asad Ali Toor	freelance journalist
75	Arifa Noor	Dawn tv	Islamabad
76	Sabah Bano Malik	Freelance journalist, Radio Host CityFM89	Karachi
77	Haroon Rasheed	Indy Urdu
78	Mehmal Sarfraz	Journalist	Lahore
79	Naheed jehangir	Assistant media manager lady Reading Hospital	Peshawar
80	Maryam Zia	Anchor, PTV World
81	Muhammad Faheem	Mashriq	Peshawar
82	Anam Baloch	Comms Manager, Digital Rights Foundation	Lahore
83	Sualeha Qureshi	Director, Soch Media	Karachi