Fatima Jinnah Women University Course Outline Program: Gender studies Master Semester 3rd/ Bachelor Semester 6th

(Winter /spring 2010) Credit Hours 3 Course Title: Gender Perspective in International Law & Constitution of Pakistan Course Instructor: Ms. Adeela Rehman Course Code: M.Gen.St- 507/ B.Gen.ST-130 Course content Topic Constitutional Introduction; Overview of constitutional development in Development Pakistan; overview of the legal status of women in Pakistan. Week 1st week

Articles

The Constitution of Pakistan: Article 8-28 Supremacy of fundamental rights, right to life and liberty, prohibition of slavery, dignity of man and privacy of home, landmark cases of restitution of rights: a) Naseem Firdous b) Female College Students c) Iqbal Bibi Reading: Know your Rights, Sohail Warraich and Ayesha Gazdar.

2nd week

Marriage Act

Securing essential rights in Muslim, Christian, Parsi and Hindu marriages: Parsi, Christian and Hindu divorce laws. Reading: Know your Rights, Sohail Warraich and Ayesha Gazdar. Handing over project

3rd week

Custody Rights

Custody of minors: Factors considered by the court. Child Marriage Restraint Act: Definition of a child; punishment for adult below 21years for marrying a child; punishment for adult above 18 years for marrying a child; punishment for solemnizing a child marriage; jurisdiction issues in this Act Reading: Guardianship of person and property D F Mullah, Mohammedan Law, 2005. Reading: Know your Rights, Sohail Warraich and Ayesha Gazdar. Reading: Child marriage restraint Act D F Mulla,

4th week

Mohammadan Law, 2005.

Legal System

Violence Against Women: The Legal System and Institutional Responses in Pakistan, In Violence, Law and Womens Rights in South Asia Readings: Ahmad, Ema; Jillani, Hina (2004) Violence Against Women: The Legal System and Institutional Responses in Pakistan, In Violence, Law and Womens Rights in South Asia (ed) Goonesekere, Savitrri. India: Sage Publications. Womens empowerment through legal literacy Perspective on legal literacy The role of law in womens subordination

5th week

Womens empowerment

6th week

Women in Law

Reading: Schular, Margrate; Rajasingam, Sakuntala Kadirgamar. (1992): legal literacy: a tool for women empowerment.(ed) Schular, Margrate; Rajasingam, Sakuntala Kadirgamar. United Nations Development Fund for Women Project presentation Womens perspective in law Limits of law as an effective tool for empowerment Legal literacy courses on family laws for women Trends of the superior courts of Pakistan in family law cases Readings: Sardar ali, Shaheen A Critical Review of family laws in Pakistan: a womens perspective Mid term The way forward for Pakistan: proposed reforms in rights, development and institutional mechanism Reading: On the path of womens empowerment: a synthesis of repot of commission/ committees on the status of women (2003) ministry of women development, social welfare and special education. Government of Pakistan Laws, Practices and Strategies in Pakistan Reading: The Superior Judiciary: Implementation of Law and Impact on Women by Nausheen Ahmed in Shaping Womens Lives: Laws, Practices and Strategies in

7th week 8th week

9th week 10th week

Law Reforms

Practice of law

11th week

Pakistan. Ed. Shaheed, Farida; Warraich, Sohail; Balchin, Cassandra; Gazdar, Aisha.

Human Rights International Human Rights and Humanitarian Law

12th week

Pertaining to Women Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women (CEDAW) Reading: International Womens Human Rights and Humanitarian Law www.law.liv.utoronto.ca/resguide/women Protection of Women (Criminal Laws Amendment Act) 2006 13th week Reading: www.pakistani.org/legislation/2006/wpb.html

WBP

Justice in law

Social disparities in legal status; administrative and policy measures to reform laws; implementation of laws Reading: The Legal Status of Women in Pakistan, Shehla Zia. Constitutional provisions affecting women; political laws affecting women; personal laws affecting women; labor laws and their effect on women; possible administrative and political steps towards change; possible legal steps towards change Reading: The Legal Status of Women in Pakistan, Shehla Zia. Honor Killings: Interface and dynamics of political parties, donors, parliament and heads of state in terms of laws for violence against women. Honor Killings: Interface and dynamics of political parties, donors, parliament and heads of state in terms of laws for violence against women Final Term

14th week

Legal provision and women

15th week

Honor killing and legal status

16th & 17th week

18th week

Grade Distribution: Mid term Final Exam Presentation and research report Assignment Class participation Attendance

25 30 15 15 10 5