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Protect economic, political freedom, ecological security

HR activists urge S Asian states

Staff Correspondent
South Asians for Human Rights (SAHR), a network of human rights activists, has called on the South Asian states to protect economic and political freedom and ecological security.
In a statement, it also called for a new culture of international relations, based on full respect of human rights and human security.
SAHR Chairperson IK Gujral and Co-Chairperson Dr Hameeda Hossain issued the statement recently on the occasion of the 60th anniver-sary of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights on December 10.
The organisation also called on the South Asian states to focus on eradication of poverty, uphold democratic process, avoid armed conflicts and invest in economic equality in order to ensure peace, security
and stability in the region.
It also urged the human rights defenders to work together to help deepen democracy, strengthen human rights and put an end to domestic violence.
In a separate statement on the occasion of the International Day for Elimination of Violence against Women on November 25, SAHR highlighted the status of women in the South Asian countries.
In Bangladesh, women are subject to violence in their homes and at the workplace, trafficking, forced prostitution, sexual abuse and fatwas, while violence against women is the fastest growing crime in India, the statement said.
"In villages, fatwas continue to be issued to persecute women for exercising their autonomy and mobility. Legal measures adopted to safeguard women’s rights
have not been effectively enforced; loopholes in existing laws and weak enforcement of laws are major reasons for the impunity of the perpetrators in Bangladesh," said the statement.
"According to data from Womankind Worldwide, 80 percent of Afghan women suffer domestic violence... The practice of exchanging girls and young women to settle feuds or repay debts also continues.’
In Nepal, about 80 percent | of cases of violence against I women are perpetrated by family members, the statement said.
"Domestic violence endemic in Pakistan. According to the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 4,276 cases of violence against women were recorded in 2007 — more than double than in 2006,' it added.