Human Rights Foundation Reports to UN on Violence Against Women in Pakistan
The Human Rights Foundation has submitted a legal report to the United Nations Special Rapporteur on Violence against Women that examines Pakistan’s shortcomings in meeting its obligation to prevent violence against women.
Although Pakistan has ratified and passed legislation to eliminate violence and discrimination, women continue to be victims of honor killings, forced marriages, and rape as a form of retribution—crimes that are largely unpunished.
“Women in Pakistan are systematically deprived of the universal rights to which every human being is entitled,” said Thor Halvorssen, president of HRF.“The legislation passed in Pakistan is a hollow gesture, essentially a written commitment with little to no follow through or enforcement."
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Struggle to Publish 'Shadow of Doubt' Shows Challenge of Investigative Reporting in Philippines
In Harvard’s Nieman Reports, IWMF Courage in Journalism Award winner Marites Dañguilan Vitug writes about how the largest book publisher in the Philippines walked away from a book deal, after she revealed the inner workings of the nation’s Supreme Court.
“The book I wrote, ‘Shadow of Doubt: Probing the Supreme Court,’ opened a window on the Supreme Court's inner workings. It was the first of its kind in the Philippines. The investigative reporting I did to write it revealed the ethical violations of justices and the book examined politicized appointments,” Vitug writes.
“What happened next—the story behind my book's circuitous journey to its eventual publication by a news organization—tells much not only about the way the court functions but also about Philippine society. Those unfamiliar with the Philippine judiciary might believe that the Supreme Court is the least powerful branch of government because it has no hold over the purse or the sword. Yet my experiences with my book confirm that the court wields a strong, yet quieter power derived from its mystique, a certain aura of mystery which comes out of its silence. There is power from being the least known branch of government, the least scrutinized, the least transparent. There is power from being at the top of an exclusive club, where the public has little access and is given only a rare glimpse.
“Another lesson I learned along the way is more about journalism than about the court. Neither independent publishing nor independent journalism has yet taken firm root in Philippine society. We have a free and raucous press—until powerful vested interests are endangered or hurt. Then, only a few of those roots turn out to be very strong.” Read more here. | |
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