Pakistan: "Islamist lawmakers" Object to Domestic Violence Law for Women's Rights

April 8, 2010
Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)
http://www.realcourage.org/2010/04/pakistan-domestic-violence/

R.E.A.L. summarizes reports on a new proposed domestic violence bill in Pakistan, opposition to it, and reports on domestic violence in Pakistan. In August 2009, a similar bill was reportedly "passed" by the Pakistan National Assembly, but was rejected due to inaction by the Pakistan Senate and the rest of the Pakistan government by December 2009. In January 2010, the U.S. government announced plans for $7.5 billion in aid for Pakistan.

-- April 8, 2010: AP reports: "Pakistan edges closer to banning domestic violence"
-- after acid attack on her face, destroying her left eye, wife Zakia Perveen said "I just thought it was my destiny, my fate."
-- "Rights advocates hope a proposed law banning domestic violence will chip away at such attitudes, giving women a more even playing field and bringing Pakistan in line with a growing number of developing nations that have outlawed spousal abuse."
-- "But Islamist lawmakers in Parliament are objecting, claiming the law could tear apart the social fabric by undermining families."
-- "In 2008, there were at least 7,571 incidents of acid attacks, rapes, spousal beatings and other violence against women, according to The Aurat Foundation, a women's rights group. Because the group relied mostly on media reports, the figure is likely a vast undercount."
-- "Other surveys have shown up to 80 percent of wives in rural parts of Pakistan fear physical violence from their husbands, while 50 percent of women in urban areas admit their husbands beat them, according to a 2009 U.S. State Department report on Pakistan."

: Pakistan: Abused Wife Zakia Perveen - who was attacked with acid in her face by her husband - losing her left eye (AP Photo/B.K. Bangash)

The February 1, 2010: Aurat Foundation - Statistics of violence against women in Pakistan in 2009. report states that:

"The number of cases of violence in different categories of offenses and their province-wise breakdown is as follows. There were:
-- 1384 cases of murder:
(752 in Punjab; 288 in Sindh; 266 in NWFP; 39 in Balochistan; 39 in Islamabad);
-- 604 cases of ‘honor’ killing:
(245 in Punjab; 284in Sindh; 14 in NWFP; 59 in Balochistan; 2 in Islamabad);
-- 1987 cases of abduction/kidnapping:
(1698 in Punjab; 160 in Sindh; 64 in NWFP; 13 in Balochistan; 52 in Islamabad);
-- 608 cases of domestic violence:
(271 in Punjab; 134 in Sindh; 163 in NWFP; 22 in Balochistan; 18 in Islamabad);
-- 683 cases of suicide:
( 448 in Punjab; 176 in Sindh; 43 in NWFP; 10 in Balochistan; 6 in Islamabad);
-- 928 cases of rape/gang-rape:
(786 in Punjab; 122 in Sindh; 7 in NWFP; 4 in Balochistan; 9 in Islamabad);
-- 274 cases of sexual assault:
(227 in Punjab; 44 in Sindh; 0 in NWFP; 2 in Balochistan; 1 in Islamabad);
-- 50 cases of stove burning:
(33 in Punjab; 10 in Sindh; 4 in NWFP; 1 in Balochistan; 2 in Islamabad);
-- 53 cases of acid throwing:
(42 in Punjab; 9 in Sindh; 1 in NWFP; 0 in Balochistan; 1 in Islamabad);
-- 1977 cases of violence were of miscellaneous nature (vanni/swara, custodial violence, torture, trafficking, child marriages, incest, threat to violence, sexual harassment, attempted murder, suicide & rape) in the four provinces and Islamabad."

A year ago, similar media reports stated efforts were in progress on a new domestic violence law in Pakistan. In August 2009, Dawn reported that a "private bill" on domestic violence had passed in the Pakistan National Assembly, which required approval by the Pakistan Senate. The Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) in Pakistan has previously warned that a law against domestic violence will "push up divorce rates," according to Dawn. But by December 25, 2009, ANI reported "the [Pakistan] Government has seemingly lost sight of it." On December 25, 2009, ANI reported: "when the bill was sent to the Senate, Mohammad Khan Sheerani, of the JUI-F, raised some objections, leading to a deferment of hearing, and then the Government slept on the matter and now the bill has lapsed... to make it a law the Government was required to get the bill passed through the upper house within 90 days of its receipt."

-- In another report by Shirin Sadeghi, Pakistan group Women Protection Project's Dr. Khola Iram states "When you talk about domestic violence in Pakistan, some men in the educated classes, for instance, say that women are not the ones who are dying, it's the police officers, they are all males... They don't consider citizen security as security of women also."
-- Shirin Sadeghi reports "Dr. Iram is subdued as she explains that Pakistan, a nation of over 90 million women and girls, does not have a domestic violence law."
-- Shirin Sadeghi also tells of how Pakistani women have been "married" to inanimate objects and even pigeons to save their inheritance. Shirin Sadeghi reports: "The concept of marrying a female family member to an inanimate object, such as the Koran, or an animal, is too often employed to ensure that the inheritance will never be lost. 'We had a case in Bhawalpur where the lady was married to a pigeon just to save the inheritance. I mean, what kind of Islam is that?' Dr. Iram says."

-- March 2009 report - Pakistan woman Irshaad asks: "Is it really a punishable crime to beat or scold one's wife?" She says she is not beaten as often now that her husband has gotten sick.

Other R.E.A.L. postings on Pakistan women:

March 11, 2010: U.S. State Department Human Rights Report on Women in Pakistan

Pakistan: 647 women killed in the name of 'honor' last year

Pakistan: Latest Honor Killing:How A Deleted Cellphone Video Led To Murder

Pakistan: Violence against women increases by 27 percent: official

Pakistan Women Acid Victims Seek Hope -- Women "Treated Like Commodoties"

Pakistan: Man kills wife over 'honor'

Slavery in Pakistan: "Girl sold in open auction"

Pakistan: Horrific Violence Against Women Continues -- 4,514 Cases in First Half of 2009 -- "Honor Killings," Acid Attacks, Other Violence Rampant

Pakistan: Taliban kill two female teachers in Bajaur

World Gender Gap Worst in Islamic Nations -- Survey Shows Pakistan, Saudi Arabia, Iran, Yemen, Egypt, Turkey at Bottom of List

Pakistan: Bombing in Peshawar Targets Women, Children

Pakistan: Acid burn victim seeks help to fight her misery

Pakistan: Suicide Attack Targets Women’s Cafeteria at Pakistan University

Pakistan -- Karachi: "Man slays sister's husband over honor" for being married

Pakistan: "Mother of nine killed over honor"

Pakistan: Top Pakistan university to ban kissing

Pakistan Federal Shariat Court acquits rape convict

Pakistan "Honor Killing": "Bodies of couple found in well in Gadap Town"

Pakistan "Honor Killing" based on "Karo-Kari" -- Kubra Bibi -- mother of two, strangled

Pakistan: Human rights group hails new law for Pakistani women -- PCC states it will "provides protection to working women at workplace from sexual advances and intimidation"

Pakistan Mob Tortures Women, Forces Them to Walk Naked in Public

Pakistan: "7 more girls escape from Women Crisis Centre" -- fear to be killed by relatives

Pakistan: "Honor Killing" of Daughter and Boy

Pakistan: Murder of Couple and Adopted Child -- Motive Appears Their Freely Choosing Marriage -- Family Suspected

Pakistan: Girls victimized by Taliban find safe haven to learn -- "girls hide textbooks in their shawls to escape harassment"

Pakistan: Suspected "Honor Killing" of Pregnant Wife, Two Teenage Daughters

Pakistan Christian Post: "Honor killing of 40 women in month of May, 2009, in Sindh"

Pakistan -- 60-year-old woman charged with "blasphemy"

Pakistan "Honor Killing": Bride's family accused of double murder

Pakistan: Man kills cousin for 'honor'

Pakistan: Jirga orders marrying off three minor girls

Pakistan: “Honour killings in Sindh rise in second quarter: report”

Pakistan: "122 cases of women being burnt were reported in Lahore"

Pakistan: Another "Honor Killing" of Eloped Couple -- Barki

Pakistan "Honor killings": Couple, including teenage bride, mother, sister murdered

Pakistan high court orders release of "honor killing" convict

Pakistan: 16 year old girl sold to 62 year old man

Pakistan: Wider cooperation stressed to fight women trafficking

Pakistan: 'Violence against women on rise as perpetrators go scot-free'

Pakistan’s Lahore: Man kills sister in the name of 'honor' -- in front of other family members

U.S. State Dept Trafficking in Persons Report 2009 and Gender Imbalance in Human Trafficking - Pakistan listed as "Tier 2" in Watch List

Pakistan: Update on Tasleem Solangi "honor-killing" case

Pakistan Karachi: When a woman's right becomes a 'sin'

Pakistan: Report on Al-Huda International – "Many girls have been 'transformed' by Ms Hashmi who now believe in limiting their existence to the four walls of the house"

Pakistan: "Karo-Kiri" used to justify so-called "honor killings"

Pakistan: woman forced to kidnap because of misogynist hate against women

Canada's Roohi Tabassum "Faces possible honor killing if deported to Pakistan"

Pakistan: "Brother kills girl for honor"

Pakistan: Honor Killing in Pakistan takes lives of two men one woman

Pakistan: Female Pakistani Singer Killed In Peshawar -- Ayman Udas

Pakistan: "honor killings" in Sindh

Pakistan: "Brother kills girl for honor"

Pakistan: Pashto female singer killed

Pakistan: Taliban gunmen shooting couple dead for adultery caught on camera

Pakistan: NWFP: Couple shot dead on jirga's order - Kala Dhaka

Pakistan: Eloping Niece Murdered by Supremacist Uncle Over "Honor"