March 24, 2006	Friday	Safar 23, 1427

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LARKANA, March 23: Women are being used as shield in the name of karo-kari to settle old enmities, pecuniary and matrimonial disputes. This was stated by leaders of the Indus Development Society while speaking at a news conference on the occasion of launching a campaign “we can end violence against women”.

Jawed Shah and Ambreen Bhutto of the IDS said that incidents of violence against women had alarmingly increased recently.

They said that about 14,000 men and women had been killed in the last 25 years on the pretext of karo-kari.

In majority of cases women confront mental, sexual, and psychological and other shapes of violence, they said.

They said that personal gains, sexual assault and monitory benefits had always been the driving force behind elevating frequency of cases.

They said that seeking divorce, going to jobs and free will to choose partner had unfortunately been labelled as sins by the feudal society.

They said that women surviving under such adverse atmosphere were seen loosing their innate abilities, capabilities and potentialities.

The organizers announced to spread the network to villages in an attempt to prepare a force of 50,000 “change makers”.

“We are fully determined to struggle for awareness so that permanent path could be constructed” they said.

They said to gear up efforts, ulema conference was being convened in Larkana on March 23 while the grand event of the campaign the “music festival” would be held in Jinnahbagh on March 15.