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A Married Woman Loses More Rights Over Her Body
“Oh, Shut up! You don’t want me to come near you. That’s why you are making these excuses about your health. Do you even know it is a sin to say no to me? I will see tonight how you dare to decline.” said the man in an angry tone as he left the room.
Aksa stood there with tears in her eyes, but she did not have time to cry her heart out because she had to leave for work. She worked as a maid. Her gynecologist had asked her to practice caution as she was suffering from vaginal fungal infection.
In Pakistan, wives declining sexual advances by their husbands are not only labelled as sinners but also meted with psychological and physical violence. The fear of these punishments make women cave into their husbands’ demands thereby compromising their fundamental human rights including right to life and right to healthcare.
Aksa was faced with the same dilemma. In 3 years of her marriage, she had birthed two beautiful but malnourished daughters, but her husband wanted a son. She was aware that if she declined to try for one, her husband would divorce her.
And she was financially dependent on her husband. She did not go to school and her parents had forced her into an early marriage. The years she had spent at her parents’ home before marriage were utilized to teach her cooking and cleaning…
