Women's rights

SRI LANKA: The Privileging of impunity in Sri Lanka’s prosecutorial process and legal system

This article was initially published in LST Review- Vol.306 and 307 in May 2013 1. Introductory Remarks “We have every reason to be proud of the fact that our judicial system has been adopted in so many different parts of the world. At the heart of it is fairness to everyone who holds views with which […]

PHILIPPINES: Why is there no investigation into the torture of a rape suspect two months on?

On June 21, we reported that Alfredo Lim, the former Mayor of Manila, had tortured a rape suspect in full view of the public, while the senior police officers present did nothing to prevent him. We rightly demanded that Lim, who perpetrated the torture and the policemen, who did nothing to stop the torture, be […]

INDIA: Unprepared authorities let Encephalitis kill more than 172 children

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information regarding continued deaths of children by Encephalitis in Eastern Uttar Pradesh from Manoj Singh, a local journalist working with a reputed Hindi newspaper. The toll has gone up frighteningly and now stands at 172 and counting. Sadly this is the state of affairs despite […]

PAKISTAN: Serial rapist and stalker assisted by Sindh government; a Christian nurse living in fear as influential person tries to force her to marry and convert to Islam

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a young Christian nurse and her family members are facing threats and harassment from a former assistant to a minister of Sindh province, an influential landlord, who is trying to convert her to Islam and marry him. The nurse has been threatened with […]

INDIA: Welfare schemes reached a person only after he starved to death in Odisha.

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received disturbing information regarding the recent spurt in cases of starvation deaths in Odisha from a fact finding team. The team comprising of one member each from Regional Centre for Development Cooperation and the AHRC visited the Jalpankel village of Khaparakhol block, Balangir district on 25th […]

PAKISTAN: World’s concern about minorities in Pakistan

The issue of minority rights in Pakistan is discussed often around the world these days, in parliaments, human rights groups like Amnesty International, religious freedom departments, foreign affairs committees and international organisations like the Commonwealth and the UN. By contrast, the Pakistani government hardly mentions it and pays very little attention to the repression minority […]

PAKISTAN: Marriage by choice becoming taboo

It was a very shivering news for the citizens of the country that a grandfather killed his grandchildren and thrown them from the roof top in presence of their mother who then killed by her father only for the protection of honour of the paternal family. The crime of the daughter was that she married […]

SRI LANKA: Rape and other crimes against women on the increase

Every ninety minutes a woman is raped in Sri Lanka, said Women for Rights at a press conference held in Colombo on July 14. The organisation further said that Sri Lanka is 5thon a list regarding domestic violence. Crimes causing violence relating to women and children is on the rise. In Sri Lanka the citizens […]

PAKISTAN: Special birthday for Malala-a significant inspiration for us all: when education is more powerful than weapons

The AHRC staff joins the international community in the celebration of Malala Day and sends sincere greetings to Malala for her 16th birthday “Even if they come to kill me, I will tell them what they are trying to do is wrong, that education is our basic right.” These words are from the well-known, young […]

ASIA: Arab Spring turns into military take over in Egypt

Article | Asia | 11-07-2013

Two years after the Arab Spring held the world captive, Egypt again finds itself immersed in turmoil as Egyptians took to the streets on June 30th in a movement to remove Islamist Brotherhood leader Dr. Mohamed Morsi (Morsy according to some sources) from his post as president of the country. The movement was backed by […]

PAKISTAN: A young woman stoned to death for having a cell phone after ruling by a Panchayat

Arifa, a mother of two, has been stoned to death on the orders of Panchayat (a tribal court) for possessing a cell phone. She was executed on 11 July in the district of Dera Ghazi Khan in Punjab province. The victim was stoned to death by her uncle and relatives on the orders of Panchayat […]

CAMBODIA: Civil Society Organizations call for political parties to further promote women’s and children’s issues

(Phnom Penh, 10 July 2013) On 3 July 2013, a group of civil society organizations (“CSOs”) jointly organized a national political platform debate on “Special Measures to Solve Women’s and Children’s Issues” (the “Debate”).  CSOs were pleased to welcome to the Debate representatives from seven of the eight political parties who are contesting the National […]

PAKISTAN: Stand with Malala

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) wishes to forward an appeal from Citizen Rights Sustainable Development (CRSD). FORWARDED APPEAL: At this moment there are 57 million children without access to education and millions more who aren’t learning in school. Working together, we can lower that number to zero by 2015. On July 12 […]

CAMBODIA: Rights to Justice and Rehabilitation of Tortured Victims

A Joint Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission, the Cambodian Human Rights Action Committee (CHRAC), the Cambodian Human Rights and Development Association (ADHOC), Transcultural Psychosocial Organization Cambodia (TPO) and the Dignity-Danish Institute Against Torture on the International Day in Support of Victims of Torture (Click here for Khmer version) As part of their concerted attempt to combat […]

PHILIPPINES: Manila mayor tortures rape suspect in full view of the public

The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is demanding an explanation as to why the police did nothing to prevent Manila Mayor, Alfredo Lim, from interrogating and torturing a rape suspect in full view of the public. In this report by the GMA News, about five policemen in uniform, including a senior police officer, were present in front […]

PAKISTAN: Christian women were attacked and paraded naked by a mob with the support of the ruling party

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that three Christian women were severely beaten and paraded naked in the village of Kasur, Punjab province, by armed men and a local landlord on the excuse that goats owned by the women entered the landlord’s fields and claimed that they damaged the standing […]

BANGLADESH: The government must save the elderly and destitute widows of Gaibandha now

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received further information regarding several elderly women living in destitution in the Palash Bari area of the Gaibandha district of the Rangpur division. As in the earlier cases reported by the AHRC, most of the victims have no one to look after them and are physically […]

NEPAL: A victim of gender-based violence needs immediate medical support

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information about the critical situation of Anita’s (name changed) health after her ex-husband stabbed her five times in an attempt to kill her. The attack came after the court had given Anita a favorable divorce settlement. The perpetrator is now absconding. Anita, 45, from Kailali […]

PAKISTAN: “It was her destiny to die this way…..”

“It was in her fate to die this way”, these shameful words were said by a mother after she threw acid on her own daughter. These are the words used commonly by many families in Pakistani society in order to justify their actions and take shelter in this orthodox society. This incident took place in […]

PAKISTAN: Do women have the right to live in Islamic societies – when the protector becomes the violator

From the early ages in Pakistan women have lived in a society which is anti-women where they are treated as unwanted creatures. Pakistan is a country where violations against women are the highest and conditions become even more alarming as women are discriminated against on the basis of gender even before birth. Women in Pakistan […]