The theme of International Women's Day 2013 is the prevention of violence against women. The UN estimates that more than two-thirds of women and girls across the world have experienced sexual or physical violence. But time to say ‘enough is enough’ has come. Discrimination or violence against women has no room in the 21st century. It is time to realize the full meaning of the term, ‘gender equality’. The situation calls for introspection. The conditions of Pakistani women vary from bad to worse; a woman in the tribal areas experiences an entirely different life than a woman in the urban centres, but both have their own challenges.

It was a sad reflection on us that the World Economic Forum last year ranked Pakistan among the worst countries in the world on its Global Gender Gap Report. Women in our society are being subjected to some of the worst kinds of atrocities including rape, acid throwing, honour killing, forced marriage and forced prostitution. The situation is a challenge for the government and NGOs working to improve the life of the nation’s female lot. At the same time, it is a fundamental responsibility of the media---electronic as well as print--- to educate masses about the inviolable rights of women.