Dr. Bari's message re. Hudood Laws and the impact on women is eloquent and moving. It raises the key question: What can NGOs and governments from other countries, particularly Northern countries, do to help? A great deal of donor funding will be flowing into Pakistan over the coming year. The donors' primary concerns are: (1) to provide resources and legitimacy that support the government of Pakistan's help in fighting terrorism, (2) to prevent efforts to destabilize the government.
There should be ways to ensure that at least part of the funding helps support women's rights. Generally speaking, and particularly in the current situation, no donor country would want to directly pressure the Pakistani government to repeal Hudood Laws -- it would seem too intrusive. However, there may be other ways to support Pakistani women's rights a bit more indirectly. For example, would it be helpful to ensure that some proportion of the donor funds goes directly to women's NGOs and educational institutions, or to women-owned enterprises? If the funds can help support women's educational and economic position, perhaps that will eventually help change their political position. For many NGOs, and indeed the governments, worldwide, there is a desire to support Pakistani women's rights. However, we need guidance from Pakistani women regarding feasible, effective ways to do so, which will not end up being counter-productive. Best regards, Janice Brodman ***End-violence is sponsored by UNIFEM and receives generous support from ICAP*** To post a message, send it to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> To subscribe or unsubscribe, send a message to: <[EMAIL PROTECTED]>. In the 1st line of the message type: subscribe end-violence OR type: unsubscribe end-violence Archives of previous End-violence messages can be found at: http://www.edc.org/GLG/end-violence/hypermail/
