HYDERABAD, Dec 4: Expressing grave concern over the ever increasing incidents of honour killings (karo-kari), leaders of human rights and welfare organizations have demanded of the government to enact special laws to protect women and give unemployment allowance, equivalent to the price of half a tola of gold, to the victims to live a respectable life.

They were speaking at a workshop on "karo-kari" organized by the HRCP Sindh chapter in collaboration with the Church World Service at a local hotel here on Sunday.

The provincial coordinator of HRCP core group, Sikandar Lal, council member HRCP, Parveen Soomro, comrade Jam Saqi, Ms Imrana Kausar and others spoke on the occasion.

They said that women in Pakistan were going through tremendous social and mental pressures and were also unable to raise their voice against atrocities unleashed against them.

Women in Pakistan, they said, were living a fearful life and in most of the cases, got divorced by their husbands on the very next day of their marriage and there is no law to protect them.

Majority of the women, fearing backlash from the society, even do not lodge FIRs against excesses.

They said that many a woman were sent to jail without committing any offence.

They lashed out at the tribal customs and said that innocent women were killed on the pretext of karo-kari and the perpetrators of such a ghastly crime were seldom punished.

They were of the opinion that the recently enacted women protection law was totally ineffective.

They recommended that workshops should be held in schools, colleges and universities to highlight the excesses against women and special measures should be taken to promote female education.

Others who addressed the workshop included, Ms Fakhra Abro, Farah Naz, Sanam Baloch, Shabbir Ahmed Tabish and others.