"Who even considers her a journalist? We don't recognize her as one." This is a phrase almost every female journalist in Pakistan hears regularly. But what, according to men, qualifies a woman to be a journalist? What standards do these men have in mind before they are willing to accept a woman as a journalist?
In Pakistan, stories of harassment are commonplace, revealing that men harass women, women harass women, and men harass men—whether it's at the office, in the marketplace, or at educational institutions. Accusations of harassment echo from all sides. But in a city like Peshawar, where female journalists already face significant challenges, they also have to endure comments like "You're not even a real journalist."
Wagma Feroz, hailing from Mohmand district, shared a recent experience. She attended a seminar organized by a certain institution to discuss the issues related to the protection of journalists in the newly merged districts. Journalists from various districts were present, but Wagma was the only female on the panel. She was asked about the challenges faced by female journalists in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and, given her reputation, what specific challenges she and other women encounter.
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In response, Wagma highlighted that even her male journalist colleagues are not supportive. One male journalist advised her, "You're from a good family; you shouldn't come to the press club. You'll ruin your reputation." Although Wagma didn't name the individual, one man in the audience stood up angrily and accused her of tarnishing his reputation.
Women often use platforms like these to raise such issues, but this man was furious. He claimed, "All the people at the press club are good; you're lying." He hurled abuses at Wagma, and when another man on the panel asked him to calm down, he angrily accused him of staying silent for money and supporting such women. The situation escalated when the man attempted to physically assault Wagma.
The majority of the people present didn't support Wagma, making her feel isolated. At one point, someone in the audience yelled, "Leave her alone! She's just a kid," even though Wagma insists she's not a child. Another person mocked her, saying, "She's not even Pashtun; she's from Islamabad because her hair is cut short like a boy's." Even Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif, the Special Assistant to the Chief Minister for Information, intervened, asking the man to stop.
Initially, Wagma left the stage, but then she reconsidered. Why should she leave the conference? If she did, people would say she ran away out of fear. So, she returned and sat down.
Wagma further explained that in Pashtun society, women who work outside the home are not respected: "I had naturally expected my journalist brothers, who also work for human rights, to be different. But, sadly, they're just like the typical Pashtun men who don't respect women. So, should women stay home out of fear? Is that the solution? Or do men deliberately try to intimidate women? Or maybe these men just can't stand the idea of strong women entering their field, outshining them, and making a name for themselves?"
Supporting Wagma's views, Salma from Peshawar shared her experience. When her parents suddenly passed away, her younger sister fell into depression. The doctor advised them to take her somewhere for a change of scenery.
The family decided to visit Galiyat in January, but due to bad weather, they got stranded there. Since Salma was working with TNN at the time, she contacted them, and they asked her to make and share a video message.
When Salma posted the video, the comments she received were shocking. Some said, "Good that you got stuck," others commented, "You must be paying for some sin," while some people said, "You look beautiful." The comments were of all kinds.
Salma emphasized that people often have no idea why someone has gone somewhere or for what reason. Just like the other provinces, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, harassment and sexual harassment cases are widespread in every institution and workplace, but most go unreported.
The harassment rate at workplaces in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa is reportedly over 80%, with complaints from both men and women.
Rukhshanda Naz, the Provincial Ombudsperson for Anti-Harassment in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, told TNN that the reported cases still don't reflect the actual numbers because a large portion of the population, for the sake of their dignity, not only hides these incidents but also many women aren't even aware of what constitutes harassment. Some don't even know the meaning of the term.
Pakistan has had harassment laws since 2010, and in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the law was implemented in 2018. The Provincial Ombudsperson's office was established in 2019 to address harassment cases.
Rukhshanda Naz mentioned that most harassment complaints come from the health and education departments, as these sectors have a higher number of female employees: "We received 59 cyber harassment cases, which we referred to the FIA Cyber Crime Wing. Most harassment complaints involve social media, where not only are women blackmailed through photos or videos, but also receive inappropriate messages on Messenger."
She invited all women in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to join the Provincial Ombudsperson Secretariat's Facebook page, where they can seek guidance if they experience any form of sexual harassment.
Khalida Niaz has been working in journalism for the past 10 years with various organizations. She shared that harassment in some form is present in the field: "Many times, I've received 'Good morning' or 'Good night' messages from someone I've contacted for a story. If I talk about Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, working in the field here is already very challenging."
Khalida mentioned that when she leaves her village early in the morning to head to her office, people give her strange looks, wondering where she is going so early. Since her village is far from the city, she often returns home late in the evening, which draws criticism from the villagers: "Leaving in the morning and returning at night? We've never seen a job like that." The villagers can't seem to accept her leaving the house.
She added: “I'm not talking about cities; the environment in cities is quite different from villages. People in villages tend to interfere in others' personal lives. And it's not just men who harass; women also do. They ask, 'Where are you going?' or 'What do you do?' or 'Why do you come back so late?'”
