Campaign against honour killing to be strengthened
LARKANA, Sept 29: A network of 150,000 ‘change makers’ will be organised in three years to strengthen the “we can end honour killing” campaign in Pakistan. Speaking at a meeting here on Monday, Dr Arif Mehmood, national campaign manager of Oxfam-Pakistan, said that the campaign had been launched in six countries of South Asia – Pakistan, Bangladesh, India, Nepal, Pakistan and Sri Lanka. He said that in Pakistan the campaign was in progress in 25 districts. He said that the campaign was ready to enter into the next phase of forming district alliances with twin objective of developing social disapproval against honour killing and killers and bringing about behavioural changes in people.
“We have reservations on the bill introduced to this effect”, he said and added that legislation alone could not be the answer to end the crime. Profuse participation of people was must to discourage the practice, he said. He said that the district alliance had begun operation in Southern Punjab as a step forward to end killings of women. He said that the campaign continued successfully in Balochistan without any resistance. The population statistics said that in six South Asian countries where campaign continued, men population outnumbered the women population, he said. Ambreen Nawaz Shaikh, campaign officer Oxfam-Sindh, said that karo-kari was high in Dadu, Larkana, Shikarpur, Jacobabad, Kashmor and Qambar-Shahdadkot districts. She said that it demanded concrete, effective and focused efforts to address the issue that had plagued society. Jawed Shah, Dr Fakhr Junejo, Father Francis Anwer of the Catholic Church and Prof Mukhtiar Samoo of National Commission for Justice and Peace, Ghulam Rasool Soomro advocate and Apa Feroza Khokhar also spoke on the occasion.
Source: Dawn
Date:9/30/2006
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