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Parliamentary body unanimously approves bills on honour killing, rape laws
[DAWN] A committee comprising politicians from both the lower and upper houses of the parliament unanimously approved two bills on Thursday aimed at tackling honour killings and boosting rape convictions -- meaning they could be voted on within weeks.Minister for Law and Justice Zahid Hamid announced that the bills would soon be voted on by the parliament, days after social media star Qandeel Baloch was murdered by her brother. Rights groups and politicians have for years called for tougher laws to tackle perpetrators of violence against women in Pakistain and the move follows a slew of high-profile killings in the country. The perpetrators of honour killings ‐ in which the victim, normally a woman, is killed by a relative ‐ often walk free because they can seek forgiveness for the crime from another family member. Rape conviction rates meanwhile are close to zero percent, largely due to the law's reliance on circumstantial evidence and a lack of forensic testing. Hamid, who chaired the committee, said: "We have plugged all loopholes in the anti-honour killing legislation, which will be put up for approval at a joint sitting of parliament soon." Posted by: Fred 2016-07-22 |
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