FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
HIDAYAT BHUTTO – INFORMATION SECRETARY
During her visit to Geneva, Dr. Shaikh met various UN officials, representatives
of non-governmental organizations, and delegates of several countries participating
the session. Dr. Shaikh got an opportunity to submit statements on Item
4(b) (The realization of the right to development), Item 5 (The implementation
of human rights with regard to women) and Item 12 (Restoration of Human
Rights)
On this Item 4 (b) a statement was read by the
Liberation on the construction of Kalabagh Dam on River Indus against the
will of people of Sindh, Baluchistan and Pakhtoonkhawa. The Liberation
is an Europe based non-governmental organization that has supported anti-colonial
movements since last five decades. It frequently speaks in UN forums on
behalf of marginalized peoples from all over the world.
On behalf of Liberation Dr. Rubina Shaikh read a statement on Item
5. In her statement Dr. Shaikh spoke about the traditional practices
affecting the health of women and girls in Pakistan, Maluka Region, Kurd
Region, Sri Lanka and Yemen. Following is the text of the statement.
Item 5 (a) Traditional practices affecting the health of women and
girls
In considering the implementation of the human rights of women, Liberation
whilst concerned with the situation facing by women world wide wish today
to put before the commission the situation in following countries:
Pakistan
Significant numbers of women are subjected to violence, abuse, rape,
trafficking, and other forms of degradation by their spouses and members
of society at large in Pakistan. There are considerable discriminations
against women, and traditional social and legal constraints have kept women
in a subordinate position in the society.
Female children still lag far behind boys in education, health care,
and other social benefits. In many cases, women and girls are abused--sometimes
to death--at the hands of their husbands, fathers and brothers, while the
authorities merely pay lip service about their obligations to protect women
and girls.
In many cases, a girl child goes to Madrassa to get Quranic education
only before the age of puberty, whereas a boy child would go to a proper
school. If a girl goes to school, her family does not allow her to
pursue education after the age of puberty.
According to the medical reports, the majority of women and girls in
rural Sindh are suffering from anaemia (iron deficiency). Malnutrition,
in general, is a common condition among rural women. Often, due to
ignorance, discrimination, and lack for medical resources, a woman's illness
does not receive enough attention.
Long physical and mental abuse, polygamy, unwanted marriages, or marriage
with Quran (HOLY BOOK) often cause mental sicknesses in Sindhi women.
Sickness is found in an alarming number of women who get married at a very
early age, in some cases even before puberty. These young women often
become pregnant and, due to the lack of community hospitals, they seldom
receive medical help – even in emergencies. Dais (quacks) attend
of 85% of births. Early age marriage, low nutrition, and almost no
gap between childbirth (use of condoms is a big taboo for Sindhi males,
and abortion is illegal in Pakistan) constitute the root causes of death
during pregnancy.
However closely a woman tries to conform to social norms, she still
has to live under the fear of attack. It can come at any time, from
men closest to her. She faces death by being shot, burnt, or slaughtered
with axes - just for being suspected of having shamed her family in some
way. She can be killed for supposedly having an illicit relationship,
for attempting to marry a man of her choice, or for divorcing an abusive
husband.
In fact, there is every sign that the number of honour killings is
increasing, since the perception of what constitutes honour - and what
damages it - widens, and since an increasing number of murders as being
claimed as honour killings on the correct assumption that they are rarely
punished. Also, the number of honour killings has risen parallel
to women's increasing awareness about, and tentative assertion of, their
rights.
We also condemn the Pakistani Government's negligence in punishing
the buying and selling of innocent women in Thar district, Province of
Sindh. There is some evidence that human trafficking takes place
under the patronage of influential politicians and Government high officials.
Regrettably, the current Government has failed to take serious notice of
the inhumane practice, and no action has been taken so far against those
vendors of humanity.
The Government of Pakistan, despite having ratified article 14 of Convention
on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against Women (E/CN.4/SUB.2/RES/1999/15),
has systematically failed to prevent, investigate, and punish honour killings.
The Government has taken no measures to amend the country's discriminatory
laws, to remove contradictory legal regimes affecting women's rights, or
to ensure gender sensitisation of police and judiciary. We urge the
international community to exert pressure on the Government of Pakistan
to honour their obligations to protect women under international laws.
And now more briefly we refer to four other regions:
Maluku
Since January 1999, the conflict in the Malukus, Indonesia – fomented
by anti-democratic forces intent on undermining the stability of President
Wahid’s government - has led to over 4,000 deaths and more than half-a-million
refugees. The majority of the refugees are women and children whose
homes have been destroyed and who are being forced to exist in mountainous
terrain without food and shelter. Many women have been raped children
are being badly traumatized by the violence inflicted on them and their
families. The situation calls for the Indonesian Government to request
urgent international co-operation, preferably from its ASEAN partners,
to help solve the crisis, as recently proposed by Indonesia’s National
Commission on Human Rights.
Sri Lanka
Once more we turn to that fact of rape used as a weapon of war by armed
forces of Sri Lanka. It has been informed by various resources that
rape cases of Tamil women in North – East of the island continue.
Taken as an average over the last four years it is said a Tamil woman are
raped every 16 days. Therefore, taking court cases for gang rape
and murder and not gang rapes where women survive it would appear on these
statistics that there have been only 24 cases over the last 4 years.
This information is not new. Liberation is concerned that despite
of the fact this issue has been before the commission on numerous occasions
this crime continues. Rapes and sexual assaults of Tamil women
by Sri Lanka forces must be brought to an end and we urge that special
Rapporteur of Violence Against Women urgently deal with these human rights
violations in Sri Lanka.
Yemen
The legal status of women in the Republic of Yemen citizenship is poor.
In spite of the law of Nationality 6 of 1990 is a perfect example of the
voluntary infringement of the Convention on the Elimination of All Forms
of Discrimination against Women, the Yemini Law of Nationality states in
article3 A that Yemini nationality shall be conferred upon “ Children of
fathers bearing this nationality. This provision means that children
of a male Yemini citizen are automatically conferred the father’s nationality
regardless of their place of birth, whether in Yemen or abroad, and, regardless
of the nationality of the mother. Yet, the reverse is not true. Yemini
citizenship is not conferred upon the children of female Yemini citizen
married foreign spouses, whether or not children are born in Yemen.
The provision, in short, is blantly discriminatory on the basis of sex.
Kurd
Most of the people in the Refugee Camp in Mahmura, Northern Iraq, are
women and children who are suffering serious illness. Sadly this
camp belongs to the high Commission of Refugees with only 2 doctors for
8000 people. We ask the United Nations to take immediate actions
to protect the health of these women and children.
Looking at this situation of women in these countries Liberation
call upon UN to seriously consider weather these crimes should be brought
before the international court unless the relevant Governments take adequate
action to stop these violations of human rights.
EMAIL: WORLD_SINDHI_CONGRESS@YAHOO.COM
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