asked Her Majesty's Government:

Whether they will discuss with the Government of Pakistan the 1,321 cases of violence against women reported for the first three months of 2008, in particular the alleged burying alive of five women. [HL5421]

The UK, together with our EU partners, condemned the recent murder of five women in Baluchistan and called on the Government of Pakistan to bring those responsible to justice. We welcome the resolution adopted by Pakistan's senate for strong action to be taken against the perpetrators.

Through both multilateral and bilateral representation, we continue to encourage the Government of Pakistan to promote and protect women's rights in accordance with international standards such as the International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination Against Women which Pakistan has signed. The UK delegation to the UN Human Rights Council also raised this during the universal periodic review of Pakistan's human rights record in May.

Our high commission in Islamabad supports projects which promote women's rights and help obtain better access to justice, for example: by supporting community-based lawyer-activists who represent women in cases of forced marriage, domestic violence and other crimes; encouraging the creation of a lawyers' network of human rights advocates with prominent women advocates; improving investigative journalism in Pakistan to encourage impartial reporting on political, electoral and human rights issues; and raising awareness and teaching of human rights, including women's rights, in schools.