Senator Farhatullah Babar on Friday proposed the appointment of a special public prosecutor for dealing with crimes against women and a national register of embarrassment containing details of crimes, status of prosecution and the current status of cases.
He was speaking at an event organised by the National Commission on Status of Women (NCSW) in Islamabad on combating violence against women.
“Local governments with women participation can play an effective role in combating violence against women he said and called for the implementation of NCSW recommendations pertaining to reserved seats for women at all levels,” he said.
He said that intolerance and violence in Pakistan was increasing day by day and identified two areas of violence. “One is security-driven violence as in the case of missing persons, bodies and the reported violence in Guantanamo Bay like internment centres. It is the women and children who suffer most when their men folk disappear mysteriously,” he said.
“The second category is belief-driven violence in which case the rich and the poor alike are beheaded. This violence goes far beyond as an accused of blasphemy cannot find a lawyer to defend him,” he said
“The largest variety of violence takes place against women as newer forms of violence against them are invented every year ranging from men’s honour, gang rape and acid-throwing. For women, it is death by the kitchen stove in Punjab, by pesticide in South Punjab, axe in Sindh and guns elsewhere. An unheard of new kind of violence was invented by a holy man when he inserted a red hot iron rod in the abdomen of his wife,” he said.
“Lack of access to justice, broken criminal justice system, jirga that exclude and degrade women and misapplication of Qisas laws have further compounded violence against women,” he said.
“Of course pardon can be granted under the Qisas law, but only after conviction. It is a miscarriage of justice and misinterpretation of the law by accepting pardons even before conviction,” he said.
Later, talking to the media, he said that to fight crimes against women, the society must recognise economic rights, the right to own land, the right to inheritance and equal wages for women. “The draft Constitution of October 1950 contained clear cut provisions for ending all forms of torture and also for equal wages for women. But both the provisions were deleted in the draft Constitution finalised in 1956,” he said.
Senator Farhatullah Babar on Friday asked the defence minister not to make any commitments in Riyadh without first notifying Senate.
https://dailytimes.com.pk/147021/intolerance-violence-rise-pakistan-farhatullah-babar/
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