'Swara' or ‘blood price’ is still practiced in the politically unstable North-West Frontier Province of Pakistan.

Women and girls are given in marriage as compensation for crimes committed by male family members.

Although this is illegal, the rule of law is ineffective in this province and for the Jirga (an informal tribal village elders' council), swara is an accepted dispute resolution mechanism.

In this context our Pakistani Member Association is seeking to change the community perception of swara and gender based violence, promote sexual and reproductive health (SRH) and rights and increase access to SRH services.