March 11, 2010 – Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.)

DC: Voice of the Copts Rally At Egypt Embassy (March 11), Press Conference (March 12)

Voice of the Copts announces two events in Washington DC: a rally at Egypt Embassy on March 11, and Press Conference at the National Press Club on March 12

The Egyptian regime will be confronted by the Copts in Washington DC in the following events:
– A peaceful rally against Egyptian regime will take place on Thursday, March 11th, 2010 (replacing the canceled one for wintry weather) at 1:00pm in front of Egyptian Embassy located In United States’ Capital,3522 International Court Northwest Washington, DC 20008-3022. Our pacific protest will ended at 4:00pm. The purpose of our demonstration is indicated in our previous communication: http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/events/rally_in_support_of_egyptian_coptic.html

– A press conference will take place on Friday, March 12th, 2010 at
1:00pm in Bloomberg Room, National Press Club – Washington DC,
529 14th Street, NW Washington DC, 20045.

Voice of the Copts, a human rights organization speaking up for more than 15 million Egyptian Coptic Christians living under persecution and oppression, will take this opportunity to detail the recent violent attacks against Coptic Christians in Egypt. Attacks occurred on Coptic Christmas Eve where eight people were massacred. In addition, we plan to give details regarding the application filed on January 22, 2010 with the United Nations Rapporteur for Human Rights presented on behalf of Mohamed Hegazy, a Muslim Egyptian converted to Christianity.

Dottore Architetto Ashraf Ramelah, Voice of the Copts’ president, will present an official request to the international bodies to generate an international investigation concerning:

– The Coptic Christmas Eve massacre, bringing to light the master plan and examining persecution and genocide practices under the Mubarak regime. Voice of the Copts has always considered Mubarak a silent partner to murder, torture, rape and other human rights violations against Copts. Furthermore, Voice of the Copts is seeking an indictment against Mubarak and his regime.

Panelist speakers will include:

– Mr. Ashraf Edward, Attorney of Record for Mr. Hegazy, on his legal action against the Egyptian regime in Mr. Hegazy’s case and his work in general in defending human rights in Egypt.

– Dr. Grégor Puppinck, Director of the European Center for Law and Justice, who in cooperation with Mr. Edward and Dr. Ramelah, made the application for Mr. Hegazy and presented the application to the United Nations.

– Mr. Jeffrey Imm, Responsible for Equality and Liberty (R.E.A.L.),
on supremacism, freedom, human liberty and racial equality.

– Jordan Sekulow, American Center for Law and Justice, on the service offered by the ACLJ and the work they do on human rights issues.

– Mrs. Faith McDonnell, the Director of Religious Liberty Programs, on the oppression of women in the Arab World.

– Dr. Nazir Bhatti, Pakistan Christian Congress, on Pakistan’s blasphemy law, threats, attacks, and killings of Christian religious minorities in Pakistan.

– Shaheryar Gill, American Center for Law and Justice, on their cooperation with the Voice of the Copts application submitted to the United Nations Rapporteur for Human Rights.

For more information about Voice of the Copts and these issues, please visit our:

English web site: www.voiceofthecopts.org
Italian web site: www.lavocedeicopti.org

Rally information:
http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/events/rally_in_support_of_egyptian_coptic.html

Press release on application:
http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/press_release/press_conference_regarding_muslim_converted_in_cairo.html

Application to United Nations Human Rights Rapporteur:
http://voiceofthecopts.org/en/press_release/application_into_un_special_rapporteur_on_human_rights.html

About Voice of the Copts
Voice of the Copts Website is an independent electronic news site which belongs to the Organization known under the same name.
Our goal is to report news of discrimination and oppression of religious minorities in every corner of our planet. A special attention will be given to those taking place in countries ruled by the Arabs, as well as providing an in-depth explanation of their mentality, behaviour and their way of living.
Since we are Copts, events of interest to the Copts concerning issues in their homeland, Egypt, will be covered, Our website would be an open window on the Coptic culture, as well as a comprehensive source of information on the Copts’ suffering in their own land.

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March 11 Logistics to Egypt Embassy:

— Date: Thursday, March 11
— Time: 1 PM to 4 PM
— Address: 3522 International Court N.W., Washington, DC 20008
— Nearby Washington DC metro stops: Van Ness-UDC metro stop
— Directions: R.E.A.L. recommends that rally attendees come by the Washington subway (“metro”) system to the Van Ness-UDC metro stop and walk over to the embassy. The parking near the embassies specifically states that such parking is by permit only. However, there are public parking facilities on nearby Connecticut Avenue NW and Veazey Terrace NW a block north of the Van Ness-UDC metro stop as an alternative. Details on the subway and parking options are provided in the following paragraphs.

Getting There by Subway

Take the DC subway red line (subway trip planner) to the Van Ness-UDC metro stop. For context, the Van-Ness UDC metro stop is three stops north of Dupont Circle and two stops north of the Zoo. So it is just a few minutes away from the center of the subway, Metro Center. Once arriving at the Van Ness-UDC metro stop, then following these walking directions:

Walking from VAN NESS-UDC METRO STATION to INTERNATIONAL COURT NW
— Exit station using WEST SIDE OF CONNETICUT AVE NW & VEAZY ST exit
— Walk approx. 1 block SE on Connecticut Ave NW.
— Turn right on Van Ness St NW.
— Walk approx. 3 blocks W on Van Ness St NW.
— Turn right on International Court NW.
— Walk approx. 1 block N on International Court NW.

Getting There by Car:

The embassy “courtyard” of International Court and International Drive can be reached by driving towards Connecticut Avenue NW, then turning onto Van Ness Street NW, and then from Van Ness Street NW you are able to turn onto either International Place or International Drive. We have seen that the parking by the embassy is by permit only, although it is not clear how severely that is enforced.

Another alternative we have found is the Van Ness Center public parking lot. We found that if go up Connecticut about half a block from the Van Ness-UDC metro stop (4201 Connecticut Avenue), that there is parking on the right of Connecticut Avenue going North when you turn right onto Veazey Terrace NW. There is a public parking lot called the Van Ness Center parking lot that is next to a Giant food store. The Van Ness Center lot is run by Landmark Parking, and it shows an address of 4301 Connecticut Avenue NW, but my GPS said that it was 3046 Veazey Terrace NW. (There is also another lot advertised on that block of Connecticut Avenue next to an “Embassy Cleaners.”) Walking back down the Connecticut Avenue from the parking lot exit, you will see a Pizza Hut, Jerry’s Sub shop and Bank of America on the corner. Then basically follow the walking directions from the Van Ness-UDC Metro stop above.

March 12 Logistics to National Press Club:
— Date: Friday, March 12
— Time: 1 PM to 3 PM
— National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW 13th Floor, Washington, DC
— Bloomberg Room

Directions to Visitors via DC Subway

Exit via Metro Center Subway Station

Walking Directions from Metro Center Subway Station (Red/Blue/Orange Line) to National Press Club on 14th Street NW

METRO CENTER METRO STATION to 14TH ST NW:

1. Exit station through 13TH ST NW & G ST NW entrance.
2. Walk approx. 1 block S on 13th St NW.
3. Turn right on F St NW.
4. Walk approx. 1 block W on F St NW.
5. Turn left on 14th St NW.
6. Walk approx. 1 block S on 14th St NW.

National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW 13th Floor, Washington DC - Zenger Room - December 10 - 12:30 - 2:45 PM — National Press Club, 529 14th Street, NW 13th Floor, Washington DC - Bloomberg Room - March 12 - 1:00 PM

VDARE Friend Richard Spencer Starts New Group “Alternative Right”

A “friend” of the “white nationalist” “hate group” VDARE, Richard Spencer has started a new group called the “Alternative Right.” Richard Spencer, was formerly an editor with TakiMag.com, where he wrote articles such as “White Like Us,” and a writer for the American Conservative where he wrote to condemn racial diversity programs in colleges. With “Alternative Right,” Richard Spencer begins by attacking “his enemies,” and cataloging Alternative Right contributors’ criticism of “Hispanic Crime.”

Richard Spencer - Former TakiMag Editor, Now Leader of "Alternative Right"

The DC Northern Virginia-based VDARE “hate group” has been seeking donations and promoting for the “Alternative Right” group and web site. Richard Spencer is located in Brooklyn, New York, but has spent years working in the Washington DC area.

On “Alternative Right,” Richard Spencer has included writers such as VDARE contributor Steve Sailer, VDARE contributor Paul Gottfried (Gottfried: “Did Pre-MLK America Really Need Redemption?”), and “Youth for Western Civilization” (YWC) leader Kevin DeAnna. On October 31 and November 1, 2009, Richard Spencer appeared with these VDARE contributors as well as Patrick Buchanan, and YWC’s Kevin DeAnna as speakers at a conference in Baltimore, Maryland of the “H.L. Mencken Club,” where Steve Sailer used his “keynote address” to attack “liberal Jews” and racial diversity. Responsible for Equality And Liberty (R.E.A.L.) was outside the event protesting VDARE’s history of racist comments.

Steve Sailer’s first contribution with the “Alternative Right” was an article “The Dispossessed Elite” which bemoans “the rise of the Jews.” Steve Sailer is known as a racial IQ commentator, who condemns the intelligence of blacks, and who used the Hurricane Katrina disaster to belittle the “native judgment” of black Americans, who Sailer said “need stricter moral guidance from society.”

One of Richard Spencer’s first articles was to address “AltRight and Its Enemies,” complaining about articles by Imagine 2050 and Tim Mak on the new “Alternative Right” organization. In Richard Spencer’s article on his “enemies,” he praises the rebuttal to Tim Mak by “Hunter Wallace” of the anti-Semitic, white nationalist Occidental Dissent group. Richard Spencer publishes “Hunter Wallace’s” comments and Wallace’s support for “Alternative Right,” where “Hunter Wallace” states: “We support what they are doing.” Occidental Dissent’s mission is “the creation of a Jew-free, racially exclusive White ethnostate in North America.” This is the same “Hunter Wallace” who seeks a Southern white “ethnostate” and who also admires Adolf Hitler. “Hunter Wallace” praises Richard Spencer as the “acknowledged leader” and the “William F. Buckley of this social movement.” The leader of the anti-Semitic, white nationalist Occidental Dissent group “Hunter Wallace” also views that “Alt Right is emerging as a popular internet watering hole where we can interact and share ideas.”

"Alternative Right" Richard Spencer Thanks Occidental Dissent's "Hunter Wallace" for Defending Him — "Alternative Right" Richard Spencer Thanks Occidental Dissent's "Hunter Wallace" for "Skillfully" Defending Him

In Richard Spencer’s interview with Tim Mak, Spencer states that he feels that some libertarian politicians have failed to address issues on “America as a Western European or Anglo-Saxon Protestant nation” and that paleo-conservatism has failed to address “human biological diversity.” The topic of “human biological diversity” (or “HBD” as the “race realists” refer to it) is a code phrase for racists to use racial IQ analyses to rationalize belittling black Americans. “Alternative Right” contributor Steve Sailer has focused on this subject, as has “white nationalist” leader of the American Renaissance group Jared Taylor. In January 2010, the Occidental Dissent believed that such focus on “HBD” would become an area of emphasis for Richard Spencer’s new “Alternative Right.” In fact, Alternative Right’s blog has an entire category on “HBD” — “because people are different.”

While he was with TakiMag, Alternative Right’s Richard Spencer had invited “white nationalist” American Renaissance leader Jared Taylor to write for TakiMag, leading to Jared Taylor’s article “Whiteout” condemning “racial mixing” and seeking whites to start “sticking up for their rights as white people.”

One of the first Internet “radio” portions of Alternative Right is, not surprisingly, an interview “Banned in DC” with “white nationalist” American Renaissance leader Jared Taylor bemoaning DC area hotels choosing not to host his “white nationalist” conference to belittle black and Hispanic Americans.

Alternative Right Interviews White Nationalist Leader Jared Taylor

The promotion of Richard Spencer’s Alternative Right includes both podcasts and a Facebook page. On the Alternative Right Facebook page, his “fans” include activists and “fans” of the racist Council of Conservative Citizens (CofCC), the white nationalist “New Century Foundation (American Renaissance),” the racist “National Policy Institute,” the anti-semitic “American Free Press,” the Confederate States of America, and other Facebook groups.

Along with his fans on the Alternative Right Facebook page, Richard Spencer is also a “fan” of the white nationalist “American Third Position (A3P),” led by white supremacist William Daniel Johnson and anti-Semite Kevin B. MacDonald,whose logo prominently includes Nazi apologist Charles Lindbergh on the front page. A3P’s William Daniel Johnson is the author of the so-called “Pace Amendment” that seeks to revoke citizenship rights for black Americans by calling for the repeal of the 14th and 15th amendments to the U.S. Constitution (making freed slaves into citizens and prohibiting the denial of the right to vote based on race). A3P’s William Daniel Johnson’s “Pace Amendment,” in part calls for “No person shall be a citizen of the United States unless he is a non-Hispanic white of the European race, in whom there is no ascertainable trace of Negro blood… Only citizens shall have the right and privilege to reside permanently in the United States.”

Richard Spencer also describes himself as a fan of Craig Bodeker (who was a scheduled speaker at the white nationalist American Renaissance conference), “Epic Beard Man” (white man filmed in violent attack on a black man on a bus praised by racists), anti-feminist Spearhead, AmericanNewRight.com, VlaamsBelang, LewRockwell.com, and the Ludwig Von Mises Institute. Richard Spencer has clearly indicated the activists that he is interested in reaching with his “Alternative Right” campaign.

Robert Weissberg posts on the Alternative Right website about “The Siren Song of Diversity,” stating that “the public sector transformation means going from blacks being governed by whites to whites, save at the highest administrative levels, being governed by blacks. In other words, yesterday’s short-order cook is today’s assistant school principal or IRS supervisor.”

In addition, YWC’s Kevin DeAnna republishes an article at “The Alternative Right” that he wrote for TakiMag in July 2009, which portrays the American Flag as merely white and black – just as he did in the TakiMag article.

Alternative Right's Kevin DeAnna's View of America - One that is Only White and Black — Alternative Right's Kevin DeAnna's View of America - One Without Colors

Additional information on Alternative Right group members:

— According to Imagine 2050 on the Alternative Right group, “The contributing editors of AlternativeRight.com also have strong ties to white nationalist and anti-immigrant groups. Richard Hoste is an author for the white nationalist journal, The Occidental Quarterly. Srdja Trifkovic is a regular contributor and Center for International Affairs and foreign-affairs editor to the white nationalist publication Chronicles. Derek Turner is a contributor to The Social Contract and attended the 2006 American Renaissance Conference. Robert Weissberg is a contributing editor for Family Security Matters and attended the 2000 American Renaissance Conference. Christian Kopff has written for both The Occidental Quarterly and The Social Contract. Thomas E. Woods Jr. is a contributing editor for The American Conservative.”

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We support our unqualified, universal human rights for all. We urge Nazi, white supremacist, “white nationalist,” and “race realist” supporters to drop the burden of the hate of supremacism from their hearts, and to rejoin the family of humanity in support of our universal human rights.

Choose love, not hate. Love wins.

Communist China: Henan Police Interrogate Pastors to Disrupt Church Legal Training

Canada: Muslim child brides on rise

Canada: Muslim child brides on rise
— Toronto Sun: “Top immigration officials in Canada and Pakistan say all they can do is reject the sponsorships of husbands trying to bring their child-brides to Canada. The men have to reapply when the bride turns 16. The marriages are permitted under Sharia Law.”

Egypt’s chilling conservatism — with women the biggest losers

Egypt’s chilling conservatism
— A new religious conservatism is on the march in Egypt, with women the biggest losers

U.S. State Department Human Rights Report on Women in Pakistan

The following is an excerpt from the March 11, 2010 U.S. State Department “2009 Human Rights Report: Pakistan” on the section involving women.

The complete report is at: http://www.state.gov/g/drl/rls/hrrpt/2009/sca/136092.htm

Women

Rape, other than by one’s spouse, is a criminal offense. An individual cannot be prosecuted for marital rape or for rape in a case in which a marriage between the perpetrator and victim was contracted but not solemnized. Although rape was frequent, prosecutions were rare. The Ministry of Women’s Development, Social Welfare, and Special Education was charged with handling these issues, with NGO assistance. On February 11, the Federal Shariat Court invalidated a 25-year-old legal provision allowing a man accused of rape to impeach the credibility of his alleged victim by offering evidence that she was “of generally immoral character.”

The Women’s Protection Act (WPA) of 2006 brought the crime of rape under the jurisdiction of criminal rather than Islamic courts. Previously, under the rape provision of the Hudood Ordinance, a woman was compelled to produce four male witnesses to corroborate her charge. Under the WPA, police are not allowed to arrest or hold a woman overnight at a police station without a civil court judge’s consent. In an attempt to bypass difficulties rape victims faced at police stations, a provision in the act called for a sessions judge to hear all rape cases. Women’s rights NGOs continued to assert that the law introduced barriers to rape victims who did not have money or access to the courts. Courts began bringing rape cases under the WPA rather than the Hudood Ordinances.

The punishment for rape ranges from 10 to 25 years in prison and a fine at a minimum or the death penalty at a maximum. The penalty for gang rape is either death or life imprisonment, but sentences were often much less severe.

There were no reliable national statistics on rape, due to the serious underreporting of the problem.

Police were at times implicated in rape cases. Police often abused or threatened victims and demanded they drop charges, especially when the accused had bribed police. Police demanded bribes from some victims before registering rape charges, and investigations were often superficial. NGOs reported that some police stations stopped recording rape complaints. Medical personnel did not have sufficient forensics training, which further complicated prosecutions.

On June 5, the Lahore High Court reviewed a case of alleged gang rape and murder of a 15-year-old girl. The girl, a resident of Sheikhupura, was allegedly raped by Dr. Iftikhar Ahmad along with others at Amin Hospital, then received a poisonous injection. According to police, the accused remained in custody at year’s end.

According to a July 26 New York Times article, two men abducted 16-year-old Assiya Rafiq and held her for approximately eight months, during which they repeatedly raped her. When the men handed her over to police in Khanewal district, south Punjab, police officers allegedly detained and raped her for 14 days. On June 19, a local court ordered an investigation and released Rafiq. At year’s end no arrests had been made, and no further action had been taken.

According to the AHRC, on October 5, five men kidnapped 16-year-old Ruby Perveen at gunpoint and gang-raped her. She was found semiconscious the next day at a bus stop in Shumali, Sargodha. Three of the alleged perpetrators–Qiaser Shahzad, Adeel Shahzad, and Irshad–were allegedly the sons of a local political party leader. Although the victim’s family filed a FIR with local police, there were no arrests. Police officers claimed an out-of-court settlement was being arranged, a claim the victim’s family denied. The government did not take any further action by year’s end.

On November 4, a district court in Karachi heard testimony in the March 2008 gang rape case of an 18-year-old woman in the precinct of Mazar-e-Quaid. Three of the alleged perpetrators were arrested, and at year’s end remained in jail awaiting trial.

There were no developments regarding the May 2008 rape case of a seven-year-old girl by two men in Gowalmandi, Lahore. A case against the suspects, one of whom was her uncle, was ongoing at the end of the year.

There were no arrests regarding the August 2008 case in which a group of men kidnapped, raped, and killed a 13-year-old schoolgirl in Rawalpindi.

Police made no arrests in the 2008 case of a woman multiple men kidnapped, raped, and severely burned with acid before killing her in Mandi Bahauddin, Punjab, nor in the 2007 case of a 17-year-old girl four men gang-raped in Shadara Town, Lahore. During the year, there were no developments in the 2007 case of then 16-year-old Nasima Labano, who at least eight men gang-raped as punishment. At year’s end eight suspects remained in jail.

During the year there were no developments in the Supreme Court case brought against the men involved in the 2002 gang rape of Mukhtar Mai. In 2005 the Supreme Court ordered that the five whose original conviction the Lahore High Court overturned be rearrested and held without bail. During the year Mai lived in her village in Punjab with police protection, and the 13 men allegedly involved in the gang rape were in prison.

Domestic violence was a widespread and serious problem. Husbands reportedly beat, and occasionally killed, their wives. Other forms of domestic violence included torture and shaving. In-laws abused and harassed married women. Dowry and family-related disputes often resulted in death or disfigurement by burning or acid.

According to the Aurat Foundation, the cases of violence against women increased 13 percent from the previous year. The Aurat Foundation reported that during the year 1,384 women were killed, 1,987 were abducted, 683 committed suicide, and 928 were raped or gang-raped. Also according to the Aurat Foundation, there were 608 cases of domestic violence, 274 cases of sexual assault, 683 cases of suicide, and 50 cases of stove burning.

According to a 2008 HRCP report, 80 percent of wives in rural Punjab feared violence from their husbands, and nearly 50 percent of wives in developed urban areas admitted that their husbands beat them. The HRCP reported 52 cases of women doused with kerosene and set afire. The Aurat Foundation reported that during the year there were 53 cases of acid attacks, up from 29 in 2008.

Women who tried to report abuse faced serious challenges. Police and judges were reluctant to take action in domestic violence cases, viewing them as family problems. Police, instead of filing charges, usually responded by encouraging the parties to reconcile. Abused women usually were returned to their abusive family members. Women were reluctant to pursue charges because of the stigma attached to divorce and their economic and psychological dependence on relatives. Relatives were hesitant to report abuse for fear of dishonoring the family.

The government operated the Crisis Center for Women in Distress, which referred abused women to NGOs for assistance. There were approximately 70 district-run shelter homes and approximately 250 facilities operating as emergency shelters for women in distress, including female police stations and homes run by provincial social welfare departments and NGOs. The district-run centers provided shelter, access to medical treatment, limited legal representation, and some vocational training.

In some cases women were abused at the government-run shelters.

There were no developments in the 2007 case of the man who allegedly set his 21-year-old wife on fire in Rawalpindi with assistance from his two brothers. At year’s end the case of the two men police had arrested was pending in Rawalpindi District Court.

Honor killings and mutilations occurred throughout the country during the year. The Aurat Foundation reported that during the year there were 604 honor killings.

A 2005 law established penalties for honor killings. Human rights groups criticized the legislation because it allows the victim or the victim’s heirs to negotiate physical or monetary restitution with the perpetrator of the crime in exchange for dropping charges, a law known as “qisas” and “diyat.” Because honor crimes generally occurred within families, perpetrators were able to negotiate nominal payments and avoid more serious punishment.

On April 24, according to media reports, Alia Bibi and Azeemul Haq were shot dead in the Kala Dhaka PATA. The couple had eloped, and a jirga had subsequently condemned them to death. Alpuri police arrested the couple in Shangla on February 26 and released them on bail. Soon thereafter, they were kidnapped and taken to Kala Dhaka, where the jirga enforced the execution order. A government representative said that although he regretted the killing, the jirga system was the only law in the area.

On June 28, according to Dawn, armed men, some in police uniform, attacked the home of a newlywed couple in Charsadda, killing five persons. According to the husband’s relatives, some of the armed men pretended to be policemen, knocked on the door, and shot him. The bride’s relatives then scaled a wall, entered the house, and began firing, killing the bride as well as her husband’s father, mother, and sister. The bride’s family allegedly was upset because the couple had wed against their wishes. The police made no arrests in the case.

On July 27, the Supreme Court settled the March 2008 case of Taslim Solangi, a 17-year-old girl who was allegedly the victim of a jirga-ordered honor killing. According to the AHRC, she was attacked by dogs and then her in-laws killed her. The Supreme Court concluded that no dogs had been unleashed on her.

There were no developments in the July 2008 honor killings of two teenage girls and three women in Baba Kot, Balochistan. After the case prompted media controversy and condemnation by politicians and human rights groups, the federal government and the provincial government initiated an investigation and police arrested seven suspects. At year’s end the case was still pending in court.

Despite bans on handing over women as compensation for crimes committed by rival tribes (also known as “vani” or “swara”), the practice continued in Punjab and the NWFP.

Parliament outlawed forced marriages in 2007, but implementation of the law remained a problem.

The World Bank released a study in 2007 indicating that approximately one-third of marriages in rural areas were “watta satta,” exchange marriages in which men marry each other’s sisters. The study indicated that the reciprocal nature of the practice provided some measure of protection for women. According to the study, “women in watta satta marriages have substantially and significantly lower probabilities of marital estrangement, domestic abuse, and major depressive episodes.” Human rights groups such as the HRCP criticized the practice, noting that “these marriages treat women as a commodity, and tension within one household also affects the other.”

In rural Sindh landowning families continued the practice of “marriage with Koran” to avoid division of property. Property of women married to the Koran remains under the legal control of their father or eldest brother, and such women are prohibited from contact with any male older than 14. These women were expected to stay in the home and not maintain contact with anyone outside of their family.

Prostitution is illegal. Most prostitutes were victims of domestic or international trafficking and were held against their will. Police generally ignored the activity if they received bribes. Police raided brothels during the year but many continued to operate underground, particularly in larger cities.

Sexual harassment was a widespread problem. There was no law to protect women in the workplace. Press reports indicated harassment was especially high among domestic workers and nurses. Although the penal code prohibits harassment, prosecution was rare.

According to AHRC, on May 11 Maheen Usmani, a senior anchorperson for Dunya TV News in Islamabad, allegedly received two late-night phone calls from Yusuf Baig Mirza, the channel’s managing director, in which he made inappropriate comments. Usmani informed the channel’s director of news and chief executive officer, but no action was taken. Usmani claimed she experienced professional setbacks, and on June 15 she resigned from her position, citing “continued harassment, coercion, and highly unethical conduct of the top management of Dunya News.” An internal investigation committee and the National Press Club investigated the claim, but there was no progress by year’s end. Mirza filed two defamation lawsuits against Usmani, who has been approached with offers of money and jobs in exchange for dropping the case.

Couples and individuals had the right to decide the number, spacing, and timing of children, and had the information and means to do so free from discrimination. Young girls and women were especially vulnerable to problems related to sexual and reproductive health and rights. According to the National Committee for Maternal and Neonatal Health, only 30 percent of married women of reproductive age used any contraceptive method, and more than one-quarter of these women used traditional methods that are less effective than modern contraceptives. Few women in rural areas had access to skilled attendance during childbirth, including essential obstetric and postpartum care. Women were less likely than men to be diagnosed and treated for sexually transmitted infections, including HIV.

The law prohibits discrimination on the basis of sex, but in practice this provision was not enforced. Women faced discrimination in family law, property law, and the judicial system.

Family law provides protections for women in cases of divorce, including requirements for maintenance, and lays out clear guidelines for custody of minor children and their maintenance. Many women were unaware of these legal protections or unable to obtain legal counsel to enforce them. Divorced women often were left with no means of support and their families ostracized them. Although prohibited by law, the practice of buying and selling brides continued in rural areas. Women are legally free to marry without family consent, but women who did so were often ostracized or were the victims of honor crimes.

Inheritance law discriminates against women. Female children are entitled to one-half the inheritance of male children. Wives inherit one-eighth of their husband’s estate. In practice women often received far less than their legal entitlement.

Women faced significant discrimination in employment and were frequently paid less than men for similar work. In many rural areas of the country, strong societal pressure prevented women from working outside the home. Some tribes continued the traditional practice of sequestering women from all contact with males other than relatives.

Numerous women’s rights NGOs such as the Progressive Women’s Association, Sehar, Struggle for Change, War against Rape, and Aurat Foundation were active in urban areas. Their primary concerns included domestic violence and honor crimes.