‘Some mullahs are … ‘: Human rights body condemns clerics for promoting ‘misogynistic videos’ in Pakistan

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday condemned the promotion of “misogynistic videos” on social media and urged people to reject anti-women ideas. It called upon the government to take action against such activities.
The rights body was referring to videos that were posted online asking Pakistani parents to stop sending their girls to school adding that “education promotes ‘obscenity’.”
“The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) has strongly condemned some videos posted on social media in which some right-wing mullahs have appealed to parents to withdraw their girls from school, saying that schools are Education promotes ‘obscenity'”, it said in a post on X.
“In another video, some mullahs are saying on the same grounds that women’s use of mobile phones is reprehensible. The language used in these videos is not only insulting but highly indecent and has a strong potential to incite violence”, it added.

‘Pakistan continues to denigrate women’
Highlighting that “12 million girls are out of school” in the country, the rights body said, “There should not be an iota of delay in rejecting such anti-women ideas entrenched in the society.”
“At a time when an estimated 12 million girls are out of school, widespread cultural restrictions apply to women’s mobility, and rates of violence against women and girls are alarmingly high, Pakistan continues to denigrate women and Cannot afford to tolerate hate speech,” it added.
‘State should issue strong, concrete public interest messages’
Calling upon the state to take strong actions towards the right of girls to education, the commission said, “The State should issue strong and concrete public interest messages to counter such narratives immediately, including the right of girls to education, which is their constitutional right under Article 25A, and the digital rights of women in general. Respect should be taught.”