EQUALITY NOW CALLS ON THE UNITED STATES TO CONDITION AID TO PAKISTAN ON MEASURES TAKEN BY THE PAKISTANI GOVERNMENT TO PROTECT GIRLS AND ENSURE THEIR RIGHT TO EDUCATION

On 20 January 2009 Equality Now issued a News Alert calling on the Government of Pakistan to protect girls and ensure their right to education following growing fundamentalist pressure in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and in Swat in Pakistan, where the Taliban have imposed a ban on girls’ education from 15 January 2009 forward and where there has been an alarming increase in violence and discrimination against women and girls. Please click on this link for further information.

The Obama administration has pledged to triple non-military aid to Pakistan via the passage of the Biden-Lugar Bill of 2008 (which is likely to be reintroduced in the Senate in 2009 by Senators Kerry and Lugar). This bill contains a package of $7.5 billion in non-military aid to Pakistan over the next five years ($1.5 billion a year).

Equality Now would like to urge its Women’s Action Network members in the United States to contact the following officials and draw their attention to the growing extent of violence and discrimination against women and girls by the Taliban in FATA and Swat in Pakistan, and in particular to the ban imposed on girls’ education by the Taliban through the use of force and threats. Ask that aid to Pakistan be conditioned explicitly on the Pakistani government taking active steps to uphold and protect the rights of women and girls, including effectively countering the Taliban’s ban on girls’ education by ensuring girls safe access to education.

Senator Richard Lugar
306 Hart Senate Office Building
Washington, D.C. 20510-1401
Tel: (202) 224-4814
Fax: (202) 228-0360
Email: [email protected]

Senator John Kerry
Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee
304 Russell Bldg.
Third Floor
Washington D.C. 20510
Tel: (202) 224-2742
Fax: (202) 224-8525
Email via website: http://kerry.senate.gov/contact/email.cfm

Please also send copies of your messages to the U.S. Vice President and Secretary of State:

Mr. Joseph Biden
Vice President
The White House
1600 Pennsylvania Ave NW
Washington, DC 20500

Ms. Hillary Rodham Clinton
Secretary of State
U.S. Department of State
2201 C Street NW
Washington, DC 20520

Please keep Equality Now updated on your work and send copies of any replies you receive to: [email protected]

Equality Now, January 23, 2009