The Madadgaar Help Line Trust has strongly condemned the death sentence pronounced by the self-appointed jirga courts, which later buried women alive in Balochistan. This incident is a relic of the pre-Islamic era of ignorance, it said.Addressing a press conference on Wednesday, the trust's chief Zia Awan said that the government has failed miserably in providing a safe environment for women and as a result, this odious custom continues under the patronage of the government. Now karo kari, is being called a regional custom, is also used to perpetrate atrocities against women.
"We feel great anguish and distress for the five victims of the Imrani tribe who were subjected to inhumane, illegal and immoral killings with the State's backing and demand that the United Nations take notice of this matter," he told the media.
It is shocking to see that the government of Pakistan is striving hard on the international front to contain terrorism, while on the home front, terrorism against women continues in connivance with the government and we strongly deplore this, he said.
According to the law, marriages forced by parents and families are null and void and women have the freedom to marry out of choice under religion and law. It is appalling that women are still forced to marry against their will in Pakistan, which gives rise to many social problems. These failed marriages also have negative effects on children.
In the last eight years, 6,111 women and 340 underage girls and boys have been subjected to atrocities. In the same period, 1,869 women became burns victims, 10,696 women kidnapped, 640 trafficked, 420 recorded as forcibly married and 764 women subjected to vani.
This last year alone, 353 women lost their lives to regain the honor of their families, while 105 women were forcibly married and 115 women victimized under the custom of vani.
Despite being a state signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Elimination of all forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW), Pakistan shows a disturbing rise in cases of violence, trafficking, murder and torture inflicted on women. By ratifying the convention, Pakistan has committed to undertake a series of measures against discrimination, but statistics of crimes and violence against women continue to rise. Discriminatory customs against women and the death sentences meted out by self-appointed courts (jirgas) are a flagrant violation of the law and a source of great humiliation for Pakistan in the international community.
Ineffective laws, negligence on the part of the police force, unemployment, hopelessness among the general public and anti-social elements are the main factors responsible for crimes. The current situation cannot be improved without taking practical steps against these factors and it is high time to take action against all perpetrators, whether individuals or groups, responsible for any violence against women.
Karo Kari, honor killing, is an unfortunate tradition practised all over Pakistan to 'safeguard' the honor of the family at the expense of the woman, he said. Murdering a woman or girl in the family on the pretext of her having illicit relations with some man is no new tradition. The only way to rid the country of this custom is to arrest, convict and severely punish those practising it.
The growing cases of human rights violations against women have proved to be cumbersome for organizations that are working in this field. The horrific reported cases provided an incentive to the government to introduce this bill. However, the women of this country can never be provided safety unless there is awareness amongst the police, judiciary and the society about the rights of women. As per the signatory status of Pakistan, according to the CEDAW article 3, "States Parties shall take steps in all fields to ensure... human rights and fundamental freedoms on a basis of equality with men", it is incumbent on the government to take appropriate measures to ensure the full development of women for the purpose of guaranteeing them equal rights.
Data collected by Madadgaar Help line for women and children suffering from violence, abuse and exploitation reveals that 2,782 women were victimized in the country from January to August 2008. Many more victims do not report their cases out of fear of social stigma and discrimination by the police and the authorities, so it is speculated that the collected figures are only the tip of the iceberg. Real figures are likely to be ten times higher, speculated Awan.