Violence against women

ASIA: Women Speak Out — Ethics in Action Vol.4 No. 5

(Hong Kong, February 2, 2011)  The new issue of Ethics in action is titled “Women Speak Out. The volume has put together 43 interviews from women from India, Sri Lanka, Philippines, Burma, Indonesia, Nepal and Bangladesh. Available online at http://www.ethicsinaction.asia/archive/2010-ethics-in-action/vol.-4-no.-5-october-2010. Themes are torture and ill treatment, domestic violence and the problems of the policing systems in their countries […]

PAKISTAN: A lady health worker raped and forced by police to withdraw her complaint

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a lady health worker, a government employee, was raped by a notorious gangster with the help of two police informers. The First Information Report (FIR), a criminal case for legal proceedings was lodged by the police intentionally after five days of the attack […]

INDIA: Woman forced to quit job and denied justice after sexual harassment

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Barak Human Rights Protection Committee (BHRPC) concerning the case of Ms. Lara (name changed) a victim of sexual harassment from Assam state. It is reported that the victim had to resign from her job since her superior colleagues tried to sexually molest […]

ASIA: Christmas and New Year Wishes from the Asian Human Rights Commission

The Asian Human Rights Commission wishes everyone a merry Christmas and a happy new year. In all countries of Asia, this Christmas and new year will be celebrated in very difficult conditions. We extend our wishes to all families who are struggling in the midst of these difficulties to fight for their rights. We particularly […]

INDIA: Police refuse to investigate a rape case after accepting bribes

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from Navsarjan, a human rights organisation based in Gujarat, concerning the case of a rape victim, who has been repeatedly refused assistance by the local police to register her complaint. It is reported that Meena (name changed) is aged about 20 years and is […]

PAKISTAN: Muslim leaders who issued decree to kill a Christian woman should be prosecuted

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission received information that Muslim fundamentalist and extremist groups have advocated publicly that a Christian lady, Aasia Bibi, sentenced to death under the blasphemy laws should not be pardoned. Some have offered a cash reward for Aasia’s assassination. Since the introduction of 295-C to the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) […]

SRI LANKA: Decriminalization of rape through impunity for perpetrators

While there are countless allegations of rape and sexual abuse of women and young children within the civil society, the high numbers are not reflected in the number of cases reported. The trauma and shame that generally follow sexual abuse prevent most women from ever reporting or speaking out about it. A great fear of […]

PAKISTAN: Police involved in rape, rights violations

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following statement from the Indo-Asian News Service (IANS). Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- A Statement from the Indo-Asian News Service (INAS) forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission Islamabad, November, 2010. A large number of police officials across Pakistan have been booked for rape […]

PAKISTAN: A woman was gang raped and kept for 50 days in a private detention center of police

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a woman, who received a stay order from court over a dispute on ownership of her house, was picked up by policemen and their informers and taken to a private detention centre where she was gang raped for more than 50 days. The […]

PAKISTAN: Lawyers from ruling party and their henchmen gang raped a girl to revenge a love marriage

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the Sindh police has stopped the investigation into the case of a gang rape of a 13-year old girl as a result of the case involving powerful people, among them two lawyers belonging to the ruling party. A doctor, who is also affiliated […]

PAKISTAN: Violence against women & attacks against religious minorities are on the rise

Dear friends, We wish to share with you the following article from www.asianews.it/news-en, written by Jibran Khan. Asian Human Rights Commission Hong Kong ————- An article from www.asianews.it/news-en forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission PAKISTAN: Violence against women & attacks against religious minorities are on the rise By Jibran Khan – 10/13/2010 WUNRN http://www.wunrn.com http://www.asianews.it/news-en/Violence-against-women-and-attacks-on-religious-minorities-on-the-rise-in-Pakistan-19725.html […]

SRI LANKA: The right without remedy — views and reflections on the Prevention of Domestic Violence Act

Sofie Rordam   In Sri Lanka as globally, the most prevalent form of violence against women is domestic violence. According to a survey from 2006 by the Ministry of Child Development and Women’s Empowerment more than 60 percent of women across Sri Lanka are victims of domestic violence while 44 per cent of pregnant women […]

PAKISTAN: The troubled history of domestic violence legislation in the country

Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza For more than a year, Pakistan’s Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill has languished in legislative limbo, awaiting political resuscitation. The National Assembly passed the bill on August 4, 2009, but the Senate failed to do so within three months mandated by the Constitution, opting to let the bill lapse. Mere consideration of a […]

ASIA: WUNRN Presentation on acid attacks

(Hong Kong, September 28, 2010) Acid attacks occur with frightening regularity in many countries of Asia. Whether they are done out of revenge, religious intolerance or simply pure malice, the horror perpetrated on the victim is inhuman. It is an issue that the AHRC has reported on frequently. The Women’s UN Report Network — WUNRN has […]

PAKISTAN: Cause for optimism as national assembly prepares to pass Acid Control and Burn Crime Prevention Bill

By Rebecca Buckwalter-Poza Last week, the government of Pakistan announced it would push the National Assembly to pass the long-awaited Acid Control and Burn Crime Prevention Bill this month. The bill, first introduced in January 2010, emerged from collaboration among the Acid Survivors Foundation (ASF), National Commission on Status of Women, United Nations Development Fund for Women, and […]

NEPAL: Police negligence in a case of rape and beating of a 16-year-old girl

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding rape and abuse of a 16 year-old domestic worker in Kathmandu on 18 July 2010 by her employers. Instead of rescuing the victim, police officers from Budha police station have reportedly kept her in detention twice for 24 hours without providing her with […]

SRI LANKA: A woman domestic worker in Saudi Arabia nailed 24 times

A woman domestic worker in Saudi Arabia nailed 24 times Mrs. L.T. Ariyawathi (49), a mother of three has returned from Saudi Arabia after less than five months of employment. Within a short time of her return she was hospitalized for an operation to remove 24 nails from her foot and a needle implanted by […]

INDONESIA: The WISE women of Jakarta

The WISE project started its second leg in Jakarta on August 2nd and with only 9 days to train and create a video – it was bound to be a challenge from the start. The women were all drawn from different backgrounds, ex-drug users, ex-sex workers, some were living with HIV, some were trans-gendered and […]

BANGLADESH: A lady parliamentarian obstructs investigation into rape of a nine year old girl

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE AHRC-STM-174-2010 August 19, 2010 A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission BANGLADESH: A lady parliamentarian obstructs investigation into rape of a nine year old girl A young handicapped girl of nine years was raped by a man on August 2, 2010. The incident occurred at an abandoned building of Baluwa Hospital […]

SRI LANKA: An Appeal to the women’s movement against inhuman treatment of a young woman on religious grounds

This is a narrative of the husband of the victim, a 17 year old woman with a two month old child, who was subjected to the horrible experience of being beaten about 100 times with the hard centre stem from a coconut frond in the presence of the committee members of the mosque situated in […]