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Church leaders and women rights activists have welcomed a statement by Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif to toughen laws to end the widespread practice of honor killings.

Honor killing, also known as karo kari, is the intentional murder of a family member for bringing shame to the family by having an illicit affair or refusing an arranged marriage. Hundreds of women are killed by their family every year in Pakistan in the name of honor.

"Honor killing is a most critical issue and my government is determined to adopt all possible ways and means for removing this stain from our society," Sharif said. "All those concerned have already been directed for plugging the loopholes in existing laws … in order to eliminate honor killings from Pakistan," he said. "Social evils can be overcome through an effective partnership between the government and civil society," he said.

The prime minister made this commitment in a meeting with Oscar-winning Pakistani filmmaker Sharmeen Obaid Chinoy, whose documentary A Girl in the River: The Price of Forgiveness highlighting the issue of honor killing, was nominated for an Academy Award.

Civil society and church leaders have welcomed the statement. "We had been demanding strict laws and a stricter implementation against this tribal practice. The church condemns killing of any kind," Bishop Samson Shukardin of Hyderabad told ucanews.com. Father Joseph Louis, executive secretary of Caritas Pakistan, said honor killing is a very dangerous dilemma in Pakistan. "In many cases, even if parents ultimately accept love marriages victims' brothers do not stop until they kill her to restore the so-called family honor," he said.

Pakistan's independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan recorded that 923 women and 82 minor girls fell victim to "honor" killings in 2014. The predominant cause of these killings was an alleged illicit affair, where both the man and woman were murdered as a result, it said.

One of the most brutal incidents of honor killings in 2014 was witnessed in Lahore, where a pregnant 25-year-old woman was bludgeoned to death by her family outside the Lahore High Court. The victim's father, brother and two cousins were sentenced to death for their role in the killing. The killing sparked international outrage.

According to the Aurat Foundation, a women rights group, more than 3,000 honor killings have been carried out since 2008 in Pakistan.

(Source: Fides) 

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There is no justice for indigenous women and girls in Bangladesh who suffer physical and sexual violence, says a new report. More than 400 indigenous women and girls were victims of violence in the South Asian nation during 2007—2015, says a report by indigenous rights groups Kapaeeng Foundation and Indigenous Women Network. Included among 434 reported acts of violence were physical attacks, rapes and gang rapes.

The perpetrators in none of these cases were held accountable, activists say. "Numerically, the figure might seem low but in proportion of the indigenous population it is very high," said Shaheen Anam, executive director of Manusher Jonno Foundation, a Dhaka-based development group. "No justice in those cases of violence raises big questions about the treatment of minorities and the government must answer why culprits were not punished," she said.

“The vested quarters target them to grab land of the minorities. But the government does not take any proper measure to stop that despite civil society's repeated call for action, she said.

Almost all of Bangladesh's 160 million people belong to the Bengali ethnic group of which the majority are Muslims. A collection of 45 ethnic indigenous groups make up 3 million of the population. Most of them are Buddhist or animist and some are Christian.

Indigenous people are neglected and face violence because they are weak, said Theophil Nokrek, secretary of Catholic Bishops' Justice and Peace Commission.

"The church, Caritas and development groups are working to help and unite indigenous people against repression and violence, but their resources are limited," said Nokrek who is from the indigenous Garo group.

"Things can only change if the state takes initiatives to ensure rights and justice for indigenous people," he said. However, oppressors of the indigenous population are often backed by political leaders and financially influential people, he added.

Violence against indigenous women shows there is a failure in the rule of law in Bangladesh, said Catholic rights activist Rosaline Costa who is the coordinator of Hotline Human Rights Trust. "In indigenous areas, there is no rule of law and indigenous people are often neglected by administration and law enforcement. Police often refuse to take and investigate cases, so these women don't see justice and the crimes often go unreported," said Costa.

"The government needs to take effective steps to resolve land disputes which is a major cause of violence, and also treat indigenous people equally to deliver justice and to punish culprits," she said. "Otherwise, violence against indigenous women would continue unabated."

Initially, women repression in the hills was used as a "weapon of war" against the indigenous people but it has now turned into a tool for land grabbing, said Kapaeeng's research coordinator, Bipasha Chakma.

She points out that in most cases, medical tests gave a negative report denying any sign of rape, as police and other government officials were Bengalee, and they tried to save the perpetrators. In the last four months, 19 indigenous women suffered sexual violence and 12 of them including children were raped. Of the victims, two were killed after rape in Khagrachhari. 

Barrister Sara Hossain, director of Bangladesh Legal Aid and Services Trust (BLAST), has said it had been almost two decades since the abduction of indigenous women's leader Kalpana Chakma in 1996 but a full investigation report never came up. If the abductors of Kalpana are tried, it would be possible to try such other crimes since the root causes of the denial of justice in these cases are the same, she said.

Sanjeeb Drong, secretary general of Bangladesh Adivasi Forum, says Bangladesh as a state is not friendly for women and for ethnic and religious minorities.

(Source: UCAN, Daily Star)

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Juarez, Mexico, Feb 17, 2016 / 09:23 am (CNA).- Watch LIVE coverage of the final Mass of Pope Francis in Mexico from the Ciudad Juárez fairgrounds at 6:00 pm EST.

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Juarez, Mexico, Feb 17, 2016 / 10:00 am (CNA).- Watch LIVE coverage of Pope Francis' visit to a prison in Juárez, Mexico at 12:30 pm EST.

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IMAGE: CNS photo/Mike Segar, Reuters

By Carol Glatz

VATICAN CITY (CNS) -- Pope Francis praised the "generous service" of the former secretary-general of the United Nations, Boutros Boutros-Ghali, and offered his condolences and prayers in the wake of his death.

"Saddened to learn" of Boutros-Ghali's death, the pope extended his "heartfelt condolences" to Ban Ki-moon, the current head of the United Nations, with a telegram sent by Cardinal Pietro Parolin, the Vatican's secretary of state. The Vatican released a copy of the telegram Feb. 17, one day after Boutros-Ghali died in an Egyptian hospital after being admitted days earlier for a broken leg. He was 93.

Recalling Boutros-Ghali's "generous service to his country and to the international community, His Holiness offers the assurance of his prayers for the late secretary-general's eternal rest, and he invokes the divine blessings of peace and strength upon the members of his family and all who mourn his loss," the telegram said.

Boutros-Ghali, an Egyptian, was the first Arab and the first African to be U.N. secretary-general. He was a Christian -- Coptic Orthodox -- from a Muslim country, and his wife was Jewish.

As Egyptian foreign minister, Boutros-Ghali was known as one of the architects of the Camp David Peace Accords.

Boutro-Ghali met with Vatican officials on multiple occasions, first as Egyptian foreign minister, then as U.N. secretary-general, 1992-1996. His term in office included the Rwandan genocide, the international population development conference, and the U.S., French and British bombing of Iraq under President George H.W. Bush.

In 1993, he received the first Path to Peace Award, presented annually by the Path to Peace Foundation, which works in conjunction with the Holy See Observer Mission to the United Nations. The award is presented to an individual in recognition of his or her commitment to the development of peace in the national and international arenas.

In 1994, then-Archbishop Jean-Louis Tauran, Vatican foreign minister, said he had had two discussions with Boutros-Ghali about the pastoral care of U.N. peacekeepers. He said the "fundamental right of every soldier to spiritual assistance" had to be spelled out in the guidelines for U.N. peacekeepers.

As secretary-general opening the 1994 International Conference on Population and Development, he said he hoped participants would not lose time in disputes over terminology. He said that no single philosophical, moral or spiritual vision can be imposed on humanity.

Boutros-Ghali was born in Cairo Nov. 14, 1922, and studied in Cairo, Paris and the United States. He taught international law and headed the politics department at Cairo University. He also served as a journalist and said learning that writing style "helped me come out of the university's ivory tower."

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 WASHINGTON-Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan of New York called on everyone "concerned about the tragedy of abortion" to recommit to a "vision of life and love, a vision that excludes no one" on January 14. His statement marks the 43rd anniversary of Roe v. Wade, the 1973 U.S. Supreme Court decision legalizing abortion. Cardinal Dolan chairs the Committee on Pro-Life Activities of the U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops.

"Most Americans oppose a policy allowing legal abortion for virtually any reason - though many still do not realize that this is what the Supreme Court gave us," wrote Cardinal Dolan. "Most want to protect unborn children at later stages of pregnancy, to regulate or limit the practice of abortion, and to stop the use of taxpayer dollars for the destruction of unborn children. Yet many who support important goals of the pro-life movement do not identify as 'pro-life,' a fact which should lead us to examine how we present our pro-life vision to others."

"Even as Americans remain troubled by abortion," wrote Cardinal Dolan, a powerful and well-funded lobby holds "that abortion must be celebrated as a positive good for women and society, and those who cannot in conscience provide it are to be condemned for practicing substandard medicine and waging a 'war on women'." He said this trend was seen recently when President Obama and other Democratic leaders prevented passage of the Abortion Non-Discrimination Act, "a modest measure to provide for effective enforcement" of conscience laws.

"While this is disturbing," said Cardinal Dolan, "it is also an opportunity." Pro-life Americans should reach out to "the great majority of Americans" who are "open to hearing a message of reverence for life." He added that "we who present the pro-life message must always strive to be better messengers. A cause that teaches the inexpressibly great value of each and every human being cannot show disdain or disrespect for any fellow human being." He encouraged Catholics to take part, through prayer and action, in the upcoming "9 Days for Life" campaign, January 16-24. More information on the campaign is available online: www.youtube.com/watch?v=gxJwfcefUiU

He also cited the Year of Mercy called by Pope Francis as a time for women and men to find healing through the Church's Project Rachel post-abortion ministry.

The full text of Cardinal Dolan's message is available online.
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Keywords: Roe v. Wade, anniversary, Pro-Life, Cardinal Timothy M. Dolan, 9 Days for Life, USCCB, U.S. bishops, U.S. Conference of Catholic Bishops, Year of Mercy, Project Rachel, Pope Francis
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