QUETTA – Participants of a meeting organized in Quetta by Oxfam have called for a joint struggle by all the stakeholders of the society against honour killing.

The chief of programme of Oxfam in the country, Dr Abid Qayum Suleri, said the organization, with its partners and stakeholders, would launch a campaign to end violence against women in March 2005.

He said the organization would facilitate the process and the partners would devise strategies and plan activities to achieve the goal of ending violence against women, particularly honour killing.

He said the organization had started consultations with potential partners and stakeholders to establish an alliance to end honour killing. A member of the Oxfam team said wider participation of the stakeholders, including politicians, media and the legal fraternity would give strength to the campaign.

He said the team had met tribal and religious leaders, who had expressed their support to the campaign. The organization is initiating a three-year campaign to end honour killing in Pakistan. The intervention is part of Oxfam’s South Asian regional campaign to end violence against women. The campaign will be launched in Balochistan.

Source: Dawn

Date:9/14/2004