Enough is Enough: No Personal or Private Dispute

News Desk
Islamabad: Enough is enough; we are dismayed by the prevailing patriarchy within our criminal justice systems and institutions, which often dismiss violence against women as a mere “personal or private dispute.”
More than 83 journalists, both men and women, have endorsed the statement from Pakistan’s Network of Women Journalists for Digital Rights (NWDJR), demanding accountability, transparency, and support for survivors of domestic violence within the media industry.
NWDJR is not only deeply concerned but also profoundly angered by yet another case of brutal domestic violence involving a male member of the journalist community.
In this instance, the alleged perpetrator is an influential media personality named Ashfaque Ishaq Satti.
Domestic violence is a criminal offense in Pakistan, as stipulated by the Domestic Violence (Protection and Prevention) Act of 2020. Furthermore, the Constitution of Pakistan safeguards the dignity of individuals as a fundamental right, making it incongruous to dismiss such matters as merely “personal” when the law explicitly protects it as a human right.
The roots of domestic violence are embedded in deeply ingrained political structures and power dynamics that are inherently oppressive and patriarchal. We firmly believe in the principle that the personal is political.
For women, the challenges they encounter in their personal lives, including the unequal distribution of care and domestic work, violence within the home, harassment in workplaces and public spaces, and online abuse, not only impact them significantly but also jeopardize their lives.