March 2, 2006	Thursday	Safar 1, 1427

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DADU, March 1: Incidents of violence against women and karo-kari cases were increasing due to illiteracy, feudal domination, poverty, disputes and unemployment.

This was the consensus of the seminar held here on Wednesday on “violence against women and the role of lawyers”.

The speakers demanded a ban on jirgas and an amendment to the Zina Hudood Ordinance. Lawyers, scholars and social workers spoke at the two-day seminar organized by Sindh Development Society (SDS) in the Gymkhana.

Speaking at the seminar, Abdul Majeed Jamali advocate said that the victim women were not getting justice through the existing Zina and Hudood Ordinance, hence it should be amended in such a manner that the affected women should get justice.

He opposed jirga system and said jirgas should be banned and relief should be provided to the victims through the courts of law.

Ms Rasheeda Panhwar advocate said that crises centres should be set-up in every district, where financial and legal support should be provided to the women.

Ms Khalida Mahessar advocate said that separate sections for women should be established in the district courts for trial of victimized women cases separately.

The Project Manager Oxfam, Ms Ambreen said that economic empowerment and equal rights were essential and demanded 50 per cent jobs in the government departments for women.

She alleged that police in interior Sindh were not providing justice to the victim women, hence a check and balance system should be formulated.

The District Officer Social Welfare Dadu, Ms Rehana Junejo said that programmes should be held in every union council to create awareness regarding women’s right and in this regard, UC nazims, councillors and government officials should play their role.

The Executive Director SDS, Ghaffar Malik, Coordinator Aurat Foundation Sindh chapter, Aslam Brohi highlighted the aims and objectives of the project and said activism has created awareness not in the society, but also among the women, which has yielded positive results.

The President, Sangat Development Organization, Ms Vinta Bano said that those nations have developed who had granted equal rights to women but the countries who were not granting rights to women their were lagging behind.

She demanded of the government to release funds to reputed NGOs for establishment of women shelter houses in every district. Among others Jehangir Lashari, Mumtaz Ali and Gullan Bhand also spoke on the occasion.

SUSPENDED: On the directive of the District and Sessions Judge Dadu, the District Police Officer, DPO, Nadir Khoso suspended SHO Thariri Mohabbat police station, sub-inspector Sibghatullah Jatoi on Wednesday for his failure to appear in the court in a case.