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Violence against women: Call for effective enforcement of laws

By Saleem Shahid

QUETTA: Speakers at a seminar on Wednesday said that despite various laws there seemed to be no reduction in violence against women because the laws were not being implemented properly.

At the seminar organised by Balochistan Foundation for Development (BDF), Balochistan Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Ruquiya Saeed Hashmi underlined the need for political parties to raise voice against the menace.

She said there was a law to deal with harassment of women at homes and workplaces but the law was not being enforced properly.

The provincial president of Pakhtunkhwa Milli Awami Party, Usman Kakar, pointed out that women were denied the right to inherit property. He described the attitude of religio-political parties as a hindrance in efforts to deal with the problem.

He said that some feudal lords and tribal chieftains got their daughters or sisters “married” to the Holy Quran in order to save property.

He said the killing of women in the name of honour was a reflection of the brutal and inhuman mindset.

National Party leader Dr Shama Ishaq said women were being murdered in the name of honour in Jaffarabad and Nasirabad districts. She regretted that both educated and uneducated people in the society avoided giving property rights to their daughters and sisters.

She claimed that several women were detained in Balochistan`s jails as they could not pay small fines of Rs3,000 to Rs5,000.

Awami National Party leader Jamali Khan accused tribal system, ignorance and role of some religious political parties as major causes of violence against women.

Ghulam Nabi Marri of Balochistan National Party-M said the women were also being subjugated of violence in Balochistan like other provinces of the country. He said his party strongly condemned the incidents of karo-kari (honour killing).

Ms Salma Hashmi of Pakistan Muslim League-Q said although legislation to control violence against women had been made but it was yet to be enforced. She said that only an educated society could redress violence against women.

Ms Fouzia Marri of PPP, Raza Ali Hazara and others also spoke at the seminar.

Source: Dawn

Date:7/7/2011