Woman Faces Threat of Honor Killing in Pakistan

(http://www.feminist.org/news/newsbyte/uswirestory.asp?id=8378) A young woman from the Sindh Province of Pakistan has appealed to Pakistan’s President Musharraf for protection from being killed in the name of “honor.” According to IRIN News, Rozina Ujjar was divorced by her husband for standing outside of her house at the same time that a 15-year-old boy passed by. After her husband divorced her a local assembly of tribal leaders declared that the woman was “kari” (subject to honor killing). The joint-director of the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan stated, “This is just another example of the way tradition is misused against women and the fact that, despite statements made very loudly in public by officials that a lot is being done to change the status of women, nothing is actually happening on the ground because district-level officials don’t act to prevent jirga’s (tribal elders) from meting out such verdicts,” reports IRIN News. A bill specific to honor killings is supposed to be introduced to Parliament that will amend the current Criminal Procedure Code and Pakistan’s Penal Code. However, according to the Daily Times of Pakistan, last week women members of Parliament protested against the assemblies for not allowing a debate on the bill.