KARACHI, Aug 1: Despite tall claims by women rights NGOs as well as the government, the situation regarding violence against women shows very little or no signs of improvement, as more than 14,000 such cases, including those of rape, gang-rape, murder, honour killing and kidnapping, were reported during the last three years in the country.

The relevant data shows that during 2001-2003, as many as 973 women were raped, 1,065 gang-raped, 2,866 women were murdered, while the infamous tradition of Karo-Kari claimed lives of another 1,511 women, where as some 3,273 women were injured in different cases, 530 burnt to death, and 4,478 women were kidnapped during the period.

The data was presented on Friday at a two-day ‘National Court of Women’ on the violence, trafficking and HIV/AIDS, jointly organized by the Lawyers for Human Rights and the Legal Aid (LHRLA), the Asian Women Human Rights Council, and the UNDP, at a local hotel. Such ‘courts’ are being held in different South Asian countries to analyse the situation and submit reports at regional courts of women to be held at Dhaka on Aug 11.

According to the statistics, 3,098 cases of violence against women were reported in different newspapers in Pakistan during 2001, but, alarmingly, in 2002 the number of such cases got more than double as 6,875 such cases were reported that year. Though the figure declined to 4,723 in 2003, still the situation could not be described as satisfactory.

Sindh assembly’s deputy speaker Rahila Tiwana, who inaugurated the event, said that she would be moving a resolution in the assembly, demanding an end to injustices to women and seeking amendments to certain laws or abolishing them.

She said the resolution had been drafted at the grass roots level, after consulting the women members of the provincial assembly, lady councillors, representatives of the NGOs, etc.

Ms Tiwana read out the resolution that demanded abolition of Jirga system, Huddood Ordinance, death sentence to accused in honour killings, etc. She was of the view that the male population, especially the young boys, were also being subjected to violence.

Dr Khalida Ghous, chairperson, Women Study Centre, University of Karachi, referring to a study, conducted in certain parts of Sindh, regretted that no practical work was being done by the government departments on women development.

Zia Ahmed Awan, LHRLA president, and others also spoke at the event.

At the outset, the members of the LHRLA theatre group staged a performance, depicting the atrocities committed against women.

Later, the participants discussed the linkages of women trafficking, migration and HIV/AIDS. At the concluding session of the court, to be held on Saturday, the proceedings and findings of the two-day event will be made public at a press conference at 5.30pm.—PPI KARACHI, Aug 1: Despite tall claims by women rights NGOs as well as the government, the situation regarding violence against women shows very little or no signs of improvement, as more than 14,000 such cases, including those of rape, gang-rape, murder, honour killing and kidnapping, were reported during the last three years in the country.

The relevant data shows that during 2001-2003, as many as 973 women were raped, 1,065 gang-raped, 2,866 women were murdered, while the infamous tradition of Karo-Kari claimed lives of another 1,511 women, where as some 3,273 women were injured in different cases, 530 burnt to death, and 4,478 women were kidnapped during the period.

The data was presented on Friday at a two-day ‘National Court of Women’ on the violence, trafficking and HIV/AIDS, jointly organized by the Lawyers for Human Rights and the Legal Aid (LHRLA), the Asian Women Human Rights Council, and the UNDP, at a local hotel. Such ‘courts’ are being held in different South Asian countries to analyse the situation and submit reports at regional courts of women to be held at Dhaka on Aug 11.

According to the statistics, 3,098 cases of violence against women were reported in different newspapers in Pakistan during 2001, but, alarmingly, in 2002 the number of such cases got more than double as 6,875 such cases were reported that year. Though the figure declined to 4,723 in 2003, still the situation could not be described as satisfactory.

Sindh assembly’s deputy speaker Rahila Tiwana, who inaugurated the event, said that she would be moving a resolution in the assembly, demanding an end to injustices to women and seeking amendments to certain laws or abolishing them.

She said the resolution had been drafted at the grass roots level, after consulting the women members of the provincial assembly, lady councillors, representatives of the NGOs, etc.

Ms Tiwana read out the resolution that demanded abolition of Jirga system, Huddood Ordinance, death sentence to accused in honour killings, etc. She was of the view that the male population, especially the young boys, were also being subjected to violence.

Dr Khalida Ghous, chairperson, Women Study Centre, University of Karachi, referring to a study, conducted in certain parts of Sindh, regretted that no practical work was being done by the government departments on women development.

Zia Ahmed Awan, LHRLA president, and others also spoke at the event.

At the outset, the members of the LHRLA theatre group staged a performance, depicting the atrocities committed against women.

Later, the participants discussed the linkages of women trafficking, migration and HIV/AIDS. At the concluding session of the court, to be held on Saturday, the proceedings and findings of the two-day event will be made public at a press conference at 5.30pm.—PPI