Faisalabad: March 23, 2014. (PCP) The government must bring the culprits and authorities to justice in Muzafargarh rape case, leaving no option for gang-rape victim except to set herself ablaze in front of a police station. The government must take action against police for torturing nurses protesting peacefully in front of Punjab assembly in Lahore. The council of Islamic Ideology (CII) must be abolished for being a controversial body operating against women’s rights. These demands were made by the participants of a Demonstration entitled ‘Protect Women against Violence’ under white ribbon Campaign, held in front of Press Club in Faisalabad on March 16, 2014. The demonstration was staged by the Peace and Human Development (PHD Foundation), Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM), National Minorities Alliance of Pakistan (NMAP), Adara Samaji Behbood (ASB), Human Rights Focus (HRF), Human Rights Defenders Network (REAT) and Aitbar Foundation. The demonstration was joined by people hailing from different communities and various socio-economic backgrounds. They were wearing white ribbons as a symbol of opposition to violence against women, and tying black armbands to mark dark period for women in Pakistan. They enchanted slogans against recent wave of incidents of gender based violence in Pakistan. Speaking on this occasion, the director of the AWAM, Nazia Sardar said, “The criminal justice system must be strengthened through reforming rules, procedures and police investigation, and sensitizing legal enforcing agencies on dealing with cases of violence against females.” A women’s rights activist, Shazia George said, “A helpline service providing referral facilities of legal aid and medical aid must be established at district police officer level, for women in distress, which must be interconnected to all the existing structures at the tehsil and union council levels for easy access of survivors of violence to effective prevention and response.” The director of the PHD Foundation, Suneel Malik said, “The 18-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by armed men in a deserted area, when she was on the way back to college on January 5 2014. She lodged an FIR against culprits, but the lack of hope for justice by authorities forced her to douse herself with petrol and set herself alight outside a police station.” “The government must realize its obligation to prosecute the rapist and immediately launch practical measures to ensure that no other rape victim has to set herself ablaze to get noticed,” he demanded. A human rights activist, Naseem Anthony said, “The sacrifice of gang-rape victim has exposed the ordeals that rape victims in the country face, when they try to bring their tormentors to justice. This tragic incident would only discourage victims of sexual violence from trying to get justice.” A political activist, Robin Daniel said, “Mostly women victims of rape are punished and the perpetrators of rape escape from punishment in Pakistan due to their connection with influential persons.” “When the state fails to prosecute the perpetrators of rape, it not only encourages further abuse, but government’s inaction gives the impression that male violence against females is acceptable,” he added. A peace activist, Aslam Saif said, “Neither reporting incidents of rape is a common practice, nor rape cases are prosecuted in Pakistan due to stigma attributed to victims. It is pity that the authorities took action after the courageous rape victim died due to self-immolation as a protest against injustice by the police and court.” A political activist, Habkook Gill said, “Transfer, suspension and arrest of the concerned police officials over negligence in the gang rape case probe, is not enough, therefore the government must set a precedent to ensure the transparent and impartial police investigation and judicial system across the country, by awarding deterrent punishment to corrupt authorities favoring criminals.” A human rights activist, Naveed Walter said, “There is no room for a parallel advisory body called ‘Council of Islamic Ideology (CII)’ in the presence of the elected parliament, which always targets women’s freedoms and rights, and call the pro-women legislation as un-Islamic. Therefore, it must be abolished.” A social activist, Tahir Iqbal condemned the termination as well as non-regularization of nurses serving for years on an ad hoc basis, by the health department of Punjab government, and the police severe baton charge on nurses protesting peacefully. He urged the government to reinstate the sacked nurses on regular basis with dignity and promotion, and immediately arrest all those responsible for injuring the nurses and trying to curb their democratic rights of expression and assembly. A social activist, Irshad Parkash said, “The government must take substantive measure to devise an efficient monitoring system for strict implementation of laws, and must train forces responsible for the implementation of laws protecting vulnerable groups.” A political activist, Sabir Sardar Khokhar said, “It is pity that despite ban on traditional councils, an illegal Jirga chaired by a parliamentarian Ghous Bakhsh Mehr, has justified the killing in the name of honour of two girls of the Mahar tribe by their parents, for love marriage with men of the Jagirani tribe, held at Wazirabad town of Shikarpur district.” “The government must take strict measures to eliminate unconstitutional, unjust, traditional “adjudication” councils like ‘jirgas’ and ‘punchayats’, which are anti-females, and repeal the ‘Qisas’ and ‘Diyyat’ law, resulting in impunity in honour killings, through waiver and compromise,” he demanded.