WUNRN
PAKISTAN – NON-IMPLEMENTATION OF LAWS ON WOMEN’S
RIGHTS - CALL FOR AWARENESS, ENFORCEMENT, ACCOUNTABILITY
December 11, 2014 - ISLAMABAD: During the last few years, many significant laws have been passed by parliaments in Pakistan; however they were not be implemented effectively.
Civil society and women’s rights activists expected notable change in the situation of women in Pakistan. The facts are other way round. Thousands of women are still tortured or face one or another kind of violence. These views were expressed by Rabeea Hadi, Director Advocacy, Aurat Foundation, during a public solidarity event titled ‘Apno Ki Yaad’ on International Human Rights Day, December 10, 2014.
Giving a situation analysis of violence against in Pakistan she said that
during the nine month period i.e. January – September 2014, 1543 cases of
kidnapping / abducting women were reported i.e. 4 women per day; 1256 women
were murdered i.e. 3 women per day; 1149 women were raped and gang-raped i.e. 3
women per day which shows 17% increase compared to last year; 708 women
committed suicide at the rate of 2 women per day; 604 women were killed in the
name of ‘honour’ i.e. 2 women per day; and 392 cases of domestic violence were
reported during the period i.e. 1 case per day.
Similarly, despite the passage of The Criminal Law (Third Amendment) Act,
2011(the laws which deals with the anti-women customary practices like wanni,
swara etc), forced marriages and child marriages still being made e.g. during
the nine month period 22 cases of forced marriages and 7 cases of child
marriage were reported. Thus, a total of 7450 of violence against women were
reported during the nine months i.e. January to September, 2014, sufficient to
realize the increase in violence against women in Pakistan. Asyia Nasir, Member
National Assembly, JUI-F, during her address to the public rally, condemned the
forced conversions of minority women and girls and their forced marriage to
Muslims. She said that ‘women’s rights’ shall be valued, respected and
implemented as ‘human rights’. In order to end domestic violence from each and
every home, we need an effective legislation on domestic violence, she further
emphasized. Each religion honours and respects women’s rights. She said that
for effective implementation of women friendly laws, the government, law
enforcement agencies, human rights organization and civil society organizations
shall work hand-in-hand.
While giving the key findings of the events under ‘16 Days of Activism to End
Violence against Women’, Ms Feroza Zahra, Nataional Programme Manager, AAWAZ
Programme, Aurat Foundation, said that women, religious and ethnic minorities
and persons with disability are the main focus of AAWAZ Programme. Giving
details of the activities with its partner communities in 450 UC’s of 45
districts, she said that data from 26 districts shows that more than 14,823
people attended these activities out of which 10,051 were women; 128,464
signatures/hand prints are received from 39 districts which pledged to ‘Stop
domestic violence, early and forced marriages’; ‘Apno ki yaad’ memorial in each
district at UC level to commemorate the women of that particular area who died
and lost their lives due to violence were also held.
‘Meet our sisters / Meri hamjoliyan’ were arranged in 45 districts visits to
Dar-ul-Aman, shelter homes, jails, meeting HIV aid patients, persons with
disabilities to discuss the issues and challenges of these intuitions and
people living there; ‘Meeting with legislators / Siyasi Bethak’ meetings
arranged where representatives of various political parties, lawyers, media
etc. were invited for a discourse on need of legislation for stopping early
child and forced marriages was initiated at district level. Provincial
conferences on need of legislation for stopping early child and forced
marriages were held in Peshawar, Lahore as well.