Women's rights

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that a 14-year-old girl, from the Hindu religious minority community was abducted by gangsters and forcibly converted to Islam. When a police case was filed against the abductors the girl was produced before a Magistrate’s Court by the gangsters to record a statement that […]

The Asian Human Rights Commission has followed closely reports since March of the death in custody of a young woman, Nan Woh Phan, in Rangoon, Burma, followed in May by the arrest and detention of her partner for alleged illegal business activity. The commission is concerned that whereas by now the family of the victim […]

Munasinghe Prasadika Sandamani LLB(Col), Attorney at Law Introduction Sri Lanka suffered enormously from the conflict between the government and the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Elam (LTTE) for more than 30 years resulting in economic, civil, political, social and cultural devastation. During the armed conflict a significant growth of continuous displacement resulted in more than a […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received updated information regarding the situation of the community living on the banks of the Bagmati River, in Thapathali, Kathmandu. On 8 May 2012, 2000 police officers were deployed in the area and conducted the forced eviction, destroying almost 250 houses and rendering almost 1000 persons […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information from the Association for Protection of Democratic Rights (APDR) concerning a case of rape of a young woman by and officer-in charge (OC) at Bhadrewswar Police Station in West Bengal’s Hooghly district on 23 April 2012. The victim’s husband had just prior to this […]

Aamir Khan is a topmost name in India’s film industry. I  am not familiar at all with Indian films in recent times but I know his name, as almost everybody does. I had the opportunity to watch his series Satyamev Jayate (Truth Alone Prevails), available online here: http://www.satyamevjayate.in/broadcast on StarPlus on Sundays. Aamir Khan emerges here as […]

Referring to the reactions of the government of West Bengal to demands of public causes and justice under the leadership of Ms. Mamata Banerjee, as paranoid, would be in fact an understatement. The state government led by the All India Trinamool Congress (TMC) that was elected to power – reflecting the people’s wish for change, […]

The Indian Central Reserve Police Force has set up the world’s first all-women pipe band. In the undercover interviews conducted by The Tehelka with police officers in Delhi, the officers claim that rape is an offense committed by the victim who lure the violator into sex with the victim. The officers opined that but for some rare cases, amounting […]

A Press Release from National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), forwarded by the Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) A two-judge bench comprising Chief Justice Iftikhar Mohammad Chaudhry and Justice Tariq Parvez, which had taken up the petition of National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW), filed by its chairperson Anis Haroon and […]

On 18 February, a 40-year-old woman, Dhegani Mahato was accused of having made one of her family members sick by casting a spell by a local shaman. She was set on fire and killed by her family members; no one intervened to save her. Reports of attacks against isolated women after blaming them of being […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of International Women’s Day International Women’s Day is being observed in Bangladesh like many other parts of the world. The programmes on the occasion of the day in the country may contain speeches by high ranking officials of the government with rhetorical pledges and […]

In October 2011 a 28-year-old woman Sumlut Roi Ja, who is the mother of 14-month-old girl, was abducted and allegedly gang-raped by the military. She was residing in Hkai Bang village, Momouk District, Kachin State, near to the border of China where a militaristic ethnic conflict is taking place. Soon after she was kidnapped her […]

Bushra Khaliq Rape victim blaming has its roots in all societies and causes are surely riddled in the culture. Stigmatization of the rape victim, multiple social and legal inequities and absence of supportive and viable systems enhance the victimization of rape victim. Lack of gender focused education, sexual stereotypes and decadent myths impede the necessary […]

At Kahawatte, representatives from several religions met and addressed a press conference on the issue of insecurity relating to the women living in this area. Ten women have been raped and killed in this area within a short period of time; the most recent incident occurred one month ago. For further information please see the article published […]

The women’s international day on March 8 is generally celebrated throughout the country with enthusiasm and jubilation to assert the achievement of the rights gained by women through their continued struggle. There is no doubt that the women of Pakistan and the leadership of feminist organizations have achieved remarkable success for getting stronger laws in […]

Today, the world’s largest democracy along with the rest of the world would celebrate international women’s day. The media will reproduce public statements and the promises made. Institutions like the National Commission for Women would reiterate its mandate to protect, promote and guarantee women’s rights and thus ensure gender equality in the country. The President […]

A Statement by the Asian Human Rights Commission on the occasion of the International Women’s Day Today marks the International Women’s Day, a day to reflect on the gains achieved by women in the respect and protection of their rights and to denounce the places in which those rights are too frequently trampled on. In […]

Dear friends, The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) has received information that the wife of a nationalist, who has refugee status in Belgium, was prevented from leaving the country to meet her husband by the Pakistani authorities. The Pakistani authorities at the Islamabad airport told her that her name has been put on the exit […]

One of the sad truths that we have to live with today is that the people’s struggles for human rights are highly fragmented in India. Equally disheartening is the fact that whenever or wherever human rights comes up for discussion, it is addressed in piecemeal, ignoring and leaving far behind a comprehensive approach to rights […]

On 15 February 2012, a government cabinet meeting decided to table a revised version of the Bill on Inclusion before the Parliament. The Asian Human Rights Commission (AHRC) is concerned that the provisions of the bill, as it stands now, fail to guarantee an equal participation of all castes, genders, and indigenous peoples in the […]