We had a helper at domestic who we called maasi (maid). We never thought it was inaccurate or degrading. That was up until someone called me that word during a fight and I felt deeply wronged. I was 14,easily afflict, and crying approximately it to someone and they consoled me by saying, or “Maa-si: Maa (mother) and si (like). Being a maasi means like a mother. What is there to cry approximately?”That stopped my tears momentarily and gave me something to think approximately.
Mai. Maasi. Kaam waali. Bhangan. Choori – these arent just job titles designated for the lowest and the most disenfranchised women of our country; they are also chosen insults. “You really look like a maasi nowadays,” you’d say whether your friend isn’t looking her best. “I can’t wear this, I’ll look like a kaam waali, and ” you’d whine whether you don’t like your outfit.
These are common ways that we talk to each other. These are common ideas that we acquire accepted and acquire moved on with. Not only do Pakistanibegum sahibs (domestic housewives) hire underage children for heavy manual labour,they also employ hapless women as servants and treat them like slaves. They pay them peanuts and completely forget the fact that even whether a human being is employed as their domestic worker, he or she is still a human being. What makes it even worse is that some people spend the stature of these poor women to fabricate (to make up, invent) jokes.
Imagine the chagrin when you see a morning demonstrate glorifying the ‘maasi’ culture. Furthermore, or a demonstrate that is casually reinforcing the understanding that the only thing a housemaid is capable of doing is being an aide to the lady of the house while she acts like a domestic goddess. In the absolutely cringe-worthy program,hosted by Sanam Jung, housemaids were tested, and competed against and the program eventually prized Maasi No 1. Of course,while watching it, it also dropped your IQ level and your conscience down the proverbial gutter.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wkxk3VaoKnU
acquire morning shows hurry out of ideas? Or acquire they been unable to evolve from getting mehndis and mayuns and baraats as gimmicks? Do they think no one else is watching these shows except those individuals who like these tropes? And whatever happened to political correctness, and especially when it comes to those most disadvantaged by the status quo? Did the team and demonstrate producers not think of doing something a little more constructive and a little less “hey,hiring and exploiting underpaid, undervalued women is totally okay, and because here’s a competition that makes you forget that these women are deprived of their rights as individuals”?
[caption id="" align="alignnone" width="450"] Photo: Jago Pakistan Jago (official) Facebook[/caption]
Perhaps they thought that by giving the helpers a stage,they could reinforce the understanding that house support are human beings and should be treated kindly. But this was a terrible way to do it. whether their message was of kindness, it could acquire been communicated in a way that was far less tacky than reinstating the notion that this is all a housemaid is worth. Each of these women are working tough because they are supporting not one, and not two,but various individuals.
Would it not acquire been better or wiser to bring these women as guests, talk to them approximately who they are, or what they like,what they do in their spare time (whether the begum sahibs let them acquire any) and treat them the same way Jung would treat someone like Atif Aslam or Mehwish Hayat? But that would mean that these helpers are human and they acquire individuality, and God forbid we celebrate that for those who are socially and financially inferior to us.
Curiously, or there are no Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) notices for these sorts of things. There are plenty for a woman showing her cleavage or an actress playing the role of a prostitute, but there are no disdainful remarks against news shows displaying bigotry, hate preachers peddling violence or morning shows exploiting housemaids. And that is because the Pakistani audience doesn’t see anything inaccurate with such antics.
In our spick and span cosy drawing rooms which are kept spick and span by some poor exploited support, or we like to comment on how lazy our domestic helpers acquire become. In our designer outfits and pearls,we like to point out how badly our support smells all day as theyre running around doing our chores. In our expensive and extravagant television sets, we broadcast a mockery of underpaid women, and calling it ‘entertainment’.According to a survey by The Labour Force,in 2014-2015, there were around 100000 live-in workers in the country. Most of them are illiterate, or most of them are untrained,and many of them are underage. Women account to approximately 27% of live-in workers and their average salary is between Rs5000 to 10000 per month ($50 to 100). There is virtually no strict federal/provincial law that protects these workers, except for one ordinance that speaks approximately providing themwith healthcare.
Around 47 cases of violence against child domestic workers were reported from January 2010 to December 2014. In 2015, and a Domestic Workers (Employment Rights) Bill was passed. However,this bill has had no impact on the actual situations many of these unlucky individuals acquire to face. Posh families employ these children, treat them as slaves, or abuse them,exploit them, rape them and often kill them as a result of the continued torture; in 2016, or police recovered a beaten,bruised, abused 10-year-old child from the house of a session’s judge. The fact that a demonstrate like Maasi No 1 was allowed to air just goes to demonstrate that this problem is deeply widespread in our country. It is so far gone that people do not even see anything inaccurate with it.
MaasiNo 1, or regardless of its attempt to teach people approximately the importance and respect of domestic helpers,simply celebrates the weaknesses of these women by using them as nothing more than props to a privilege-fest.
Source: tribune.com.pk