Last weekend I went to watch a play that ended at 8:30pm. While waiting for my car, I met two girls who were frantically searching for a Careem ride, terrified of breaking their hostel curfew. One of them came up to me and requested if I could give them a lift.
In our hurried conversation during the drive, one of them told me that their warden often seek bribes from girls returning to hostel late. They may also seek gifts, and in rare cases, sexual favours.
While gates in boys hostel usually close at midnight, girls are locked up as early as 9pm. Meant to make the female hostel-ites feel safe, it rather prevents them from socializing and attending late tuition and coaching classes. They are unable to use the library or work till late at night to earn an income and cover the expense of education. If they violate these restrictive timings, they are subjected to lengthy lectures or piercing looks.
Since it is difficult for single women to find affordable, safe and secure accommodation for rent, most choose to live in hostels. But instead of prioritising women’s safety, convenience and comfort, hostels serve more as private profit-making, surveillance and moral policing companies.
In a country like Pakistan where female students from remote and conservative backgrounds come to study in the cities, any kind of complaint to their parents, especially assaults on girls’ character, may end their dreams of acquiring education and building careers.
In a country like Pakistan where female students from remote and conservative backgrounds come to study in the cities, any kind of complaint to their parents, especially assaults on girls’ character, may end their dreams of acquiring education and building careers. Wardens, who abuse authority, instill fear in girls, which may crush their self-esteem and sense of security.
A ban on student unions imposed by General Ziaul Haq in 1984 has deprived students’ of a platform where they can voice their concerns. Hostels mostly offer poor quality food and over crowded – and are not cheap to live in. This impacts female students more than male students and contributes to the rising dropout rate among them.
If we are to stay true to the Quaid’s words – “No nation can rise to glory unless its women are side by side” — we must trust our girls. Instead of curtailing their freedoms in the name of security, we should focus on educating our boys and raise them to be responsible citizens.
