Pakistan
Pakistan: Please support - Online Petition on the Bill on Domestic Violence in Pakistan by Baidarie
Sign the petition on the Domestic Violence Bill in Pakistan!
The 16 Days of Activism against Gender Violence Campaign symbolically links November 25th (International Day against Violence against Women) and December 10th (International Human Rights Day).“International Day against Violence against Women” was first declared in 1981 to commemorate the violent assassination of the Mirabel sisters on that date in 1960 by the dictatorship of Rafael Trujillo in the Dominican Republic.
Pakistan: Asia Bibi, sentenced to death for blasphemy, may get pardon
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan — A Christian woman who was sentenced to death by a municipal court for blasphemy against Islam could be pardoned by the president in the next few days, a senior government official said Monday.
Asia Bibi, 45, an agricultural worker and mother of five, is the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy, according to human rights groups.
Pakistan: Walk Against Honour Killing
LAHORE: There were slogans and chanting in front of the Lahore Press Club on Monday when more than 80 women rallied for about an hour to mark the International Women Human Rights Defenders’ Day.
The walk, arranged by Shirkat Gah, a non-governmental organisation working to protect women rights, started from the Press Club.
Baidarie Sialkot
About
Baidarie Sialkot is a Pakistani non-governmental organization that grew out of an initiative of women in the rural village of Roras in 1993. Stemming from the creation of project focused upon literacy and skills training in 1991, Baidarie is committed to the role of education and awareness in expanding the rights of women. Through capacity building projects, Baidarie has worked hard to help women become more active in the decision making processes.
Shirkat Gah Women's Resource Centre
About
Shirkat Gah (SG) literally means a place of participation. It was formed as a non hierarchical collective in 1975 by a group of women with a shared perspective on women’s rights and development.
Shirkat Gah is committed to a just, vibrant, progressive and democratic society where women are fully empowered, gender equality, human security and opportunities are ensured for all, peace prevails and resources are shared on a sustainable and equitable basis.
Pakistan: Family leads outcry at blasphemy death penalty
Campaigners in Pakistan say the case of Asia Bibi – the first woman to be sentenced to death for blasphemy – highlights the need for urgent reform of laws that are routinely used to persecute minorities and settle grudges. The 45-year-old Christian, who has at least two children, was sentenced to death by a court in Sheikhupura, near Lahore, after prosecutors accused her of insulting the Prophet Mohamed and promoting her own faith. Her family have rejected the allegations and launched an appeal. "We have never ever insulted the Prophet or Islamic scripture, and we will contest the charges," said her husband Ashiq Masih.
Pakistan: Ensure safety of Asia Bibi and her family and repeal Pakistan’s Blasphemy Laws
The International Solidarity Network, Women Living Under Muslim Laws (WLUML) is deeply shocked that a court in Nankana Sahib, Pakistan, has sentenced a 45-year-old Christian woman, Asia Bibi, to death on the charge of having committed “blasphemy”. Although illiterate, she has been accused of denying the institution of prophet-hood by citing copious examples from the key texts of Islam. We join local human rights organizations, international women’s groups and religious minorities in calling for Pakistan to urgently repeal its Blasphemy Laws. We also appeal to the authorities to guarantee the safety of Asia Bibi and her family from the rage of local extremists, as well as investigate the violent persecution of the Christian community in the Punjab.
One Day One Struggle: International Campaign to Promote Sexual and Bodily Rights across Muslim Societies
On November 9, 2010, the 2nd international “One Day One Struggle” Campaign to promote sexual and bodily rights in Muslim societies will take place in 12 countries across Middle East, North Africa, South and Southeast Asia. With diverse, groundbreaking actions and events, almost 50 participating Human Rights organizations, Universities and Municipalities will simultaneously call for public attention to issues like Right to Information, Sexuality Education, Sexual Health, Bodily Autonomy and Sexual Rights of Individuals, LGBTTQ Rights, Sexual Diversity and Islam, Sexuality and Shari’a as well as the struggle to stop sexual rights violations ranging from Polygamy to killings of women, gay people and transsexuals.
Violence against women and attacks on religious minorities on the rise in Pakistan
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The families of the victims are often afraid to use the courts for fear of reprisals. The proposals of the Justice and Peace Commission to combat the phenomenon.
Robert Fisk: The truth about 'honour' killings
The old Pakistani maulawi laid two currency bills on the table between us, one for 50 rupees, the other for 100 rupees. "Now tell me," Rahat Gul asked, "which is the more valuable?" I thought it was a trap – which it was, in a way – but he lost patience with me and seized the 100 rupee note. "Now come with me." And he stood up and led me down a narrow corridor into a small bedroom. There was a camp bed, a military radio and, at the far end, a giant British-made safe. He fiddled with the combination and hauled on the iron door. Then he placed the 100 rupee bill inside and locked the vault. "You see?" he said. "This is like a woman. She must be protected and looked after, because she is more precious than us."
Reader, this is no joke. This whole piece of entirely spontaneous theatre occurred several years ago in what was then called the North West Frontier Province. But I actually possess a videotape of the entire proceedings, in which you see me following the divine to his safe and hear him comparing the worth of the currency bill to the worth of a woman. I was supposed to be impressed by the high status which he accorded women. What struck me, of course, was that this high status appeared to accord women an exclusively economic value – she was a bank account – and that this might lie behind the whole misogynistic system which led us to the curse of "honour" crime.