On November 15, 2011, the National Assembly of Pakistan passed a landmark bill on the “Prevention of Anti-Women Practices.” Dr. Donya Aziz, Member of Pakistani Parliament and member of the Executive Council of the Parliamentarians Network for Conflict Prevention, spearheaded the effort to pass the historic bill.
The bill criminalizes exploitative and discriminatory practices such as forced marriages and denial of women’s rightful inheritance. People who engage in these practices, which are customary in some parts of Pakistan, are now subject to hefty fines or up to seven years in prison.
