Hudood Ordinance is a law in Pakistan that discriminates against women. It was enacted in 1979 under the military rule of Zia-ul-Haq and is a legal tool used by many to oppress the rights of women.

The Hudood Ordinance criminalizes all extra-marital sex including adultery or fornication. Any person convicted of the crime faces a punishment of stoning to death for adultery and 100 lashes for unmarried persons. Under this ordinance, a woman must have four male Muslim witnesses to prove rape, or face a charge of adultery herself.

This law is widely used by many to extract revenge. Parents register cases against their daughters who have married of their own choice; and by husbands whose wives re-marry after divorce.

Girls who are raped are also imprisoned under zina laws. Unless the girl can provide four Muslim witnesses and proof, she may be charged with pre-marital sex or adultery. Resulting in the vast majority of women never reporting their ordeal.

Then there are girls who are forced into prostitution, many times by their own husbands, fathers and brothers. These women, when caught in police raids, are then made to suffer even further under the law.

Each year thousands of women are falsely and unjustly accused of adultery and then imprisoned. It is then no surprise that over 80 percent of women in Pakistani prisons are those who have either been convicted or those under trial for zina.

Many such women are illiterate and come from poor families, unable to hire legal help or defend themselves in courts. Resulting in many rape victims being condemned twice – once by their attacker and then by the state.

The Ansar Burney Trust has been working to help the victims of this law for many years. Our chairman, Mr. Ansar Burney opposed the ordinance and presented his appeal to Zia-ul-Haq himself.

The Ansar Burney Trust has also been very active in getting the release of innocent women locked away in prison under false accusations. We have provided legal and financial support to the victims of rape.

Every sentence handed out in Pakistan of stoning to death has been halted due to the efforts of Ansar Burney Trust and our appeals to high levels of government.