Balochistan is counted among the underdeveloped provinces of Pakistan, which is slowly and gradually growing to fulfil the basic needs and rights of its citizens. Balochistan is like a bunch of flowers holding the fragrance of different and beautiful flowers. Numerous people are living in the far-flung areas of Balochistan belonging to different cultures, religions, creeds etc. There are several obstacles in the way of success which include Honor Killing, early child marriage, stopping girls from acquiring good or higher education, child labour, etc. Apart from these hindrances, there is still the hope that one day the people of our society will surely change their mindsets for a peaceful prosperous society. Being a Pakistani citizen, we enjoy basic human rights given by the constitution of Pakistan. Such as the right to live, right to education, right to have a job, freedom of speech, freedom of expression, RTI (Right to Information) etc.
While discussing about basic Human rights, Persons with Disabilities should also be the prime focus. PWDs are also a part of our society One billion people or 15% of the population in the world the PWDs. More than 27 million people are living with some sort of disabilities in the world. They are also a part of our society and so should enjoy the basic human rights as others do.
Living with disabilities in itself is a big curse when it becomes unbearable to the family members of the one. Depending on others and leading a life in such a way is not easy at all. Desire to have a good liberal life for such people sounds like something next to impossible. On the contrary, we do have examples of Persons with Disabilities leading a free independent life. But those are very few. The upbringing of PWDs is the biggest challenge for the parents to facilitate PWDs with the basic needs they require, and find it difficult for them to fulfil the basic needs and provide the attention they require. They are a burden for the family.
The government of Pakistan has formulated the best laws to protect every individual in her nation, but we lack in the implementation of the laws. The life of PWDs is not easy as compared to the normal human. They need to have someone to take care of. To help them t walk or move etc. although there are automatic wheelchairs available, but even they also, need someone. The educational opportunities are also not that much. If they have to visit the assembly or any of the building they mostly have issues entering the assembly, for most of them are mostly on the wheelchairs. Therefore, their political participation is quite limited.
Marriage is one of the most matrimonial bonds, a very beautiful relationship where two people are bound through a contract that they will be together throughout their life and will be together in all of their happiness and sorrows. They are the partners of each other to share the troubles, difficulties, and tensions and being husband and wife act like the best friends to each other while sharing and solving the issues. It’s a bond between the two. But unfortunately, it has become a business.
Living with disabilities is in itself the biggest challenge. And in the present scenario where life is so much more challenging for normal people, it becomes even more challenging for persons living with disabilities. According to Mr. Karamatullah, there are numerous issues before and after marriage including the reproductive health issues being faced by the PWDs. They usually stay at home and at their age of reproductivity especially the females are not properly guided as to how to handle the issues during pregnancy. the PWDs are not treated or given attention as they are treated in European countries to how to lead a normal life being disabled, impart knowledge about the behavioural changes that are subjected to human beings during various stages of their ages, awarding them about life and other related important things that are necessary, counselling is also an important part and considered highly important for their psychological treatment. Whenever a daughter with a disability is born in Pakistan, especially in Balochistan, the entire family start teaching or infusing in her mind and heart that she will go live her entire life in her parental house till her death, she will not be married, and so they don’t let her go out of the house, and she is deprived of the right to acquire good or basic education as well. Some parents let their child acquire an education but they also infuse in her soul that she will not be married for they love her a lot and would not bear any misbehaving or hardships she will face in her married life in another house. That’s why we don’t want you to get married to anyone like that. They are deprived of the right to marriage in numerous ways by their own family, and by their own parents.
There is also a myth found among the society belonging to a community of normal beings that whether females with disabilities can bear a child or not, can they be born a baby or not? If yes then would they be able to deliver a normal child without having disabilities or not? The born baby would also bear the kind of disabilities of a mother or father or would be more dependent than the mother or the father. The reality is absolutely vice versa. According to medica science, a mother with disabilities can bear a baby and she can give birth to a normal child.
Being disabled I also face numerous problems. I am disabled not by birth, I had an accident, which caused very severe damage to my spinal cord. The severe injury to my spinal cord paralyzed my body. My hands are also paralyzed and the movement of my hands is merely confined to my wrists. The accident damaged my sensations completely but replexation is still normal.
A person living in Charsada who is also paralyzed and is a teacher, he got married at the age of 45 and now he is the father of a baby. The major issue before marriage for persons with disabilities is their disability in movement or major physical or mental dependence. Females are the biggest subject of not getting married due to such issues, but as far as males with disabilities are concerned, we are living in a dominant society so they do not face such issues at large merely because we have a Valvar system in most of the tribal communities, so in that case they can marry the normal female quite easily by paying some money.
He said that families support their daughters only till the time they are unmarried but when they got married and started living with their In-Laws, she lost the support system. In most cases, the same is the plight of the male with disability when he marries a normal girl, his family steps back saying that now you have got married so your entire responsibility is with your wife, don’t expect anything from us. After marriage, the issue of a child also arises. It is a prime focus and the centre of discussion in any of the families in Balochistan. Nowadays, male and female PWDs who are working together in the NGO sector or any other organization are marrying each other accepting the disabilities of their partner fellow in order to lead a happy peaceful and prosperous life. There also, they are facing problems. They have to tolerate satirical remarks that you are a burden upon us, you create problems for us when you go out or work, we are bound to drop you and pick you up from your job areas, we cannot feed you more, earn
You live by yourself, bear your household responsibilities yourself and don’t bother us.
Allah Rakhha, physically handicapped, families raise obstacles, and visually disabled persons are concerned they also face discrimination but this discrimination is not that much in Balochistan as compared to other provinces.
Ms.XYZ added her views while discussing the issue. For her security, she has requested to hide her identity. She is also an activist, Ms XYZ said that the marriage of such people is so much difficult and nobody thinks about it. It is not discussed in the families or considered of getting married or having babies, according to her the prime focus for the marriage is that the female should be absolutely fit and strong enough to perform various household tasks after the marriage. Physical appearance and other things matter a lot. In most cases, the family members of the PWD become extra possessive and or overprotective. They worry about the responsibilities of their children after marriage. They also get tensed for the maltreatment and misbehaviour of the in-laws for the PWDs after marriage. They believe that after marriage the partner or the family of the PWD will not look after their children love or respect them as they do. There are people who believe that if a PWD is a mother or the father the disability they have might be transferred or inherited by their children. But the reality is absolutely different. Disability is not inherited, it occurs due to polio, muscle dystrophy or spinal cord injury. Although there are chances that Muscle dystrophy can be transferred into the baby, also it is not mandatory. Sterilization occurs mostly in rural areas where the family does not want their son or daughter bearing disability to get married. Mostly parents are worried for the future of their children suffering from disabilities and who will look after them after their death. Therefore, in order to avoid unnecessary pregnancies the parents sterilize the organs. They remove the uterus not only to avoid unnecessary pregnancies but also to get rid of the menstruation of the females for it increases the workload for the mother. As far as organ mutation is concerned it has also taken place in a few of the rural areas.
She further added a true story which took place in Pishin, parents of three mentally retarded daughters met her. They ask her help to get their daughters operated on the mother is tired as their age has passed 60 years; she gets tired and further cannot bear the work of such kind any more. And the daughters will face difficulties after the death of their parents. Ms xyz also shared the case which occurred in a village in Balochistan where the female PWD was raped by her own brother continuously for months, the truth was revealed to the parents when she got pregnant. But the parents instead of saying anything to their son, aborted the child and later removed the Uterus.
Ms. Fozia (PWD), also disclosed that the society does not accept the PWDs if the parents are not supportive. Marriage of PWDs is not considered by the families in most cases for they cannot uphold the household responsibilities completely. The assumptions of society also prevent the marriage of the PWDs for the parents get worried that society will consider that they can’t fulfil the responsibility of the child and in order to release themselves from the burden have to marry him or her. People want to avoid the birth of a child from a PWD parents and if the mental condition of the PWD is not stable, the parents go for Sterilization surgery. She is of the view that PWDs are given life by God; He will arrange the meals for them as well, they also have reproductive health rights which should not be violated so brutally.
Mr.Ahsan was a facilitator during a session with persons with disabilities which was conducted in Boys Scout last year, during the session a female PWD disclosed that people living in the side areas of Balochistan go for Organ Mutation Surgery of the PWDs. It happens because the PWDs cannot marry. So the desire to get married is stopped.
Hence, the conclusion is that Marriage is a big issue, especially for the female PWD. Sterilization of the PWDs occurs but most probably in the side areas of Balochistan. Organ mutation is also done with the PWDs in the side areas; rebirth health issues associated with PWDs is a myth at large. Society needs to be sensitized and there is a need to impart awareness among the people regarding disabilities, for it is not inherited. Disability can be caused by an accident or by birth, but it can never be inherent at large. Marriage, good education, security and rebirth (RHR) are the basic rights of Persons suffering from disabilities but these rights are violated to a greater extent in Balochistan, apart from the fact that Pakistan has signed the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities (UNCRPD) on 25th September 2008 and ratified it on 5th July 2011.
