Elements contributing to violence against women in South Asia

With repressive regimes and the far right on the ascendant, fundamental rights continue to erode. The world has recently seen leaders like Donald Trump and Imran Khan espouse misogynistic views, thereby, emboldening their supporters who hold similar views and enabling them to marginalize the women around them. As these supporters attempt to preserve the patriarchy, they often resort to the use of violence to maintain their hegemony and control over women. These proclivities have also increased in South Asia where governments have both: perpetrated violence against women and in other instances enabling those who perpetrate such violence. Supported by a misogynistic and patriarchal culture, violence against women is not commonly seen as criminal conduct in the South Asian society especially if it is being committed in the name of honor. This paper traces the elements that have contributed to violence in Pakistan, India, Afghanistan, and Myanmar, examining the State's role in oppressing women when they challenge its entrenched political interests and also the State's abandonment of women at the altar of political expediency. This paper then sheds light on such violence and attempts to arrest the growth thereof.