Terrorism, Human Rights Dilemma And Its Effects On Women In Swat, Pakistan

Abstract

The global war on terror has created a human rights dilemma for the mostmarginalised groups in societies. In a highly patriarchal society like Pakistan, this dilemma is further magnified due to the lack of focus on human rights problems it creates for subsections of society that do not have equal access to mainstream resources, such as women. This paper seeks to identify the human rights issues created due to terrorism and counter-terrorism from a gendered perspective in the context of women in Swat, Pakistan. Secondary data analysis has been used as a research methodology, and the Feminist Theory has been applied as the theoretical framework. Findings reveal that women in Swat have suffered human rights abuses in the economic, social and cultural context far more than men, and continue to suffer from psychological problems. The militant activity in Swat altered the mindset of women towards terrorism, creating women militants. The paper concludes that women in Swat suffered severe human rights abuses to their economic, social and cultural freedoms, and were not beneficiary to adequate rehabilitation initiatives, leaving emotional and mental after-effects on these women.