I disagree that this would be too intrusive to be a diplomatic issue, however I would have to concur that "pressure" (in other words... "consequences") would not be part of government-to-government messaging. How to make it a diplomatic issue is another matter. One could start with Amnesty International or by directly writing to one's Foreign Minister, the nearest Pakistani Ambassador, etc.
Re: donors' concerns to prevent de-stabilising government. Governance, law reform, judicial reform are part of that approach. It might be interesting to look at what work is being financed by the World Bank, the Islamic Development Bank and the Asian Development Bank in these areas. Banks are accountable for the work they are doing, and the project managers there are most likely aware of the challenges and have built women's rights into the conditions of financing. They might even have ideas on how to address the problem directly. Marie Stamp Canadian Diplomat On 21 May, Janice Brodman wrote: > >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. > ***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/
