KARACHI, Dec 13: Secretary-general of the Amnesty International Irene Zubaida Khan said that the AI planned to launch a global campaign next year to counter violence against women.

Speaking at the soft opening of a shelter for women, Panah, on Thursday morning, she said that women were victimised globally and their condition was particularly worse in the developing countries.

She said that a lot of people spoke about human rights violations, but very few spoke about the violation of the rights of women who were equal in numbers and were victimised more than their male counterparts.

Mentioning her recent visit to an Afghan refugee camp in the northern areas of Pakistan, she said that women in Afghanistan, a country devastated by two decades of war, had suffered more than men.

The Bangladesh-born AI chief said an Afghan refugee woman had said to her at the camp that human society was like a bird and men and women were like its wings; the bird could neither be healthy nor could it fly if one of its wings was clipped, so efforts should be made to develop both the wings equally, enabling human beings to make progress.

She said that the Amnesty International had prepared a report on violence against women and honour killings in Pakistan, in the light of which the AI felt that it would not be fair to just gather information and prepare a report, and it was decided in principle to take concrete steps to fight the problem. So, she said, when a proposal came for the establishment of a shelter for women who were victims of violence the AI decided to provide some funds.

Ms Khan, who is the first Asian Muslim woman to get the top AI slot, said that the shelter would achieve real success when the victims, after receiving assistance from the shelter, were rehabilitated in the society and later came back to the shelter to help out other inmates.

Earlier, other speakers said that Panah had become possible because of the experiences and commitment of a number of citizens and organisations concerned with human rights, women’s rights and justice in the country.

They said that in view of the rise in violence against women in Pakistani society- most of which was perpetrated within family and extended family units- these organisations had recognised the urgent need for a shelter for women- a temporary shelter where they could be safe from their relatives and other zealots until a legal process could be effected on their behalf.

They said that Karachi had been selected because it was home to over 12 million people and also received, from the rural areas of the country, a large number of displaced communities and immigrants, many of whom were unable to adjust to the urban lifestyle and vented their confusion, frustrations and anger on their women.

They pointed out that there was a government-run Darul Aman for women in Karachi, but due to various laws, regulations and limitations on the movement of the inmates such facilities had become veritable prisons.

They said that in Panah the inmates would have freedom of movement and would have medical and legal aid and technical and vocational training.

They said that the old people’s home that was constructed by the Infaq Foundation in the premises of the Ida Rieu School nearly a year ago, but remained inoperative, had been obtained for the establishment of the shelter there.

They said that the Amnesty International’s members in the United States and the Netherlands had generated and provided over Rs4.5 million for the smooth running of Panah; the AI had also pledged to provide Pound Sterling 10,000. They said other philanthropists were also being approached and hopefully there would not be any shortage of funding.

Later the AI chief was taken around the fully-furnished premises. Representatives of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, the Citizen Police Liaison Committee, the Women Action Forum, War Against Rape and other organisations who had assisted in the establishment of the shelter were also present.

Retired Justice Majida Rizvi, Jameel Yusuf, Dr Habiba Hassan, Uzma Noorani, Syed Moazzam Ali, Romana Abdullah and others spoke on the occasion.