Women’s Action Forum Lahore welcomes the ‘Anti Women Practices (Criminal Law Amendment) Bill 2008’ passed by the National Assembly on November 15 and anticipates its smooth passage by the Senate.
This Bill addresses the issue of forced marriage and archaic coercive practices such as Swarah, Vani and marriage to the Quran. It also ensures women’s right and access to inherited property and is being hailed as a step in the right direction. As a result of amendments both in the Pakistan Penal Code and the Code of Criminal Procedure, forced marriages and the denial of a woman’s right to inherited property have become non-compoundable offences. Depriving a woman of her inheritance now entails a minimum of 10 years imprisonment and a fine of one million rupees. Forcibly giving a woman in marriage with a view to settle civil disputes or criminal liability is now punishable with imprisonment for a term that can extend to up to seven years but cannot be less than three along with a fine of Rs.500000. Moreover, compelling or facilitating the marriage of a woman with the Holy Quran is punishable with imprisonment for a term that can extend to up to seven years but cannot be less than three along with a fine of Rs500,000.
WAF recognizes that this Bill is a step in the right direction as it criminalizes customary practices that have hitherto been legitimized by culture and tradition. These practices have been the cause of great injustice, violence and have also resulted in the murder of women along with the forcible conversion of non-Muslim women through marriage following abduction and rape.
At the same time WAF strongly cautions against complacency and reiterates the urgent need for this Bill to be enacted as law. Moreover, WAF would like to draw attention to the fact that procedural mechanisms for registration of complaints and the procedure for investigation need to still be worked out as without them, the Bill would be reduced to a mere statement of intent. There is also a pressing need to work on and develop preventive social mechanisms against such practices to complement this new legislation.
WAF would also like to congratulate Donya Aziz for having successfully tabled this Bill, the passage of which testifies to the commitment of women parliamentarians to the cause of justice for all citizens particularly women. WAF would also like to lend its support and strongly urge the passage of other women centered legislations like the Domestic Violence Bill and the Acid Control and Acid Crime Prevention (Amendment) Bill, along with strengthening the law on Honour killings.
November 18, 2011
waflahore 