Date
President Pervez Musharraf
Office of the President
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9224768
E-mail: CE@pak.gov.pk

Dear President Musharraf:

I am writing to urge you to adopt stronger laws and practices to protect women’s human rights. In April 2000, you committed yourself to protecting women from violence, in particular,implementing measures to eradicate “honor killings.” You stated that “honor killings do not find any place in our religion or law,” and that such crimes are “murder and will be treated as such.” Many years later, women’s rights to life and security of person are still under threat with few avenues for redress or protection.

Human Rights Watch urges the government of Pakistan to bring its domestic law and practice into compliance with its international human rights obligations and demonstrate its commitment to eliminating violence and discrimination against women by implementing the following recommendations.

• Repeal all laws that in their intent or effect discriminate against women. In particular, the government should immediately repeal the gender-specific discriminatory provisions of the Hudood Ordinances;

• Adopt specific legislation that explicitly defines and criminalizes domestic and familial violence and penalizes it accordingly;

• Allocate funds to improve and expand medicolegal services and train personnel as well as upgrade physical facilities and equipment;

• Prioritize the provision of shelters for abused women and their dependent children, with the assistance of nongovernmental organizations with experience in working with women victims of violence. Ensure that such shelters cease to function as detention centers and instead allow women freedom of movement;

• Compile and collate statistics on a national scale on the scope and nature of violence against women, disaggregated by gender and age;

• Ensure that violence against women, including domestic violence, is promptly investigated by police and perpetrators are prosecuted by the criminal justice system; and

• Strengthen the voice of women in politics and offer governmental protection to women advocates that are threatened.

Human Rights Watch thanks you for your attention and look forward to your action on these critical human rights matters.

Sincerely,
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List of additional contacts to cc:

Chief Justice Sheikh Riaz Ahmed
Ministry of Law, Justice and Human Rights Division
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad,Pakistan
Minister Mian Khurshid Mahmud Kasuri
Federal Minister of Law, Justice, Human Rights and Parliamentary Affairs
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad,Pakistan
Fax: + 92 51 9207217


Dr. Attiya Inayatullah
Federal Minister of Women Development, Social Welfare,Special Education and Population Welfare
Constitution Avenue
Islamabad,Pakistan
Justice Majida Razvi
Chairperson
National Commission on the Status of Women
House No. 39, Street No. 56, F-6/4
Islamabad, Pakistan
Fax: +92-51-9224877