Founded in 1997 and based in Islamabad, Pakistan, the Amal Human Development Network (AMAL) is a non-profit organization that "is working in education, gender and reproductive health sectors throughout Pakistan with particular emphasis on capacity building of NGOs [non-governmental organizations], HIV/AIDS prevention and awareness" (AMAL 4 Dec. 2003a). Activities of the organization include providing the services to develop print and electronic material, promoting and supporting indigenous artists and providing capacity building training workshops on such topics as communication strategies for development, leadership skills for development managers and writing reports (ibid. 4 Dec. 2003b). The organization has also provided HIV/AIDS awareness training and gender sensitization training to United Nations staff working throughout Pakistan, provided teacher training workshops to several NGOs (ibid. n.d.) and is continuing to provide an HIV/AIDS training and outreach programme to Catholic Relief Services staff, and implement the YES! Quetta HIV/AIDS prevention programme for adolescent males who are out of school (ibid. 16 Oct. 2003). According to Pakistan Press International (PPI),

AMAL's significant achievements include the interventions for vulnerable groups who are difficult to reach and motivate for behavioural change such as commercial sex workers in a red-light area of Lahore. ... AMAL has also been promoting the advocacy of mainstream HIV-related concerns through provincial and District level non-governmental activities in four provinces including AJK [Azad Jammu Kashmir] and Northern Areas. It also supports the national and provincial AIDS control programmes to establish a creative partnership and an effective monitoring mechanism for HIV/AIDS prevention programme. Together with the Ministry of Social Welfare, the Ministry of Youth Affairs and UNICEF, AMAL has also undertaken the training of youths in life skills development (27 Oct. 2003).

Reference to AMAL's original YES! programme, in Rawalpindi, which educated mostly adolescent males about HIV/AIDS, was made by PPI in a 2002 news article (2 Dec. 2002).

On 27 October 2003, AMAL was presented with a recognition award by the United Nations (UN) system in Pakistan, on the occasion of United Nations Day 2003, "for their outstanding work in highlighting the plight of children and promoting the rights of children in Pakistan, HIV/AIDS and human development and for their ... collaborative works with UN Agencies" (PPI 27 Oct. 2003). For additional information on AMAL and its activities, please access the organization's Website.

Information on whether any member of the organization has experienced difficulties with Muslim fundamentalists or had a case filed against them by the police or courts on allegations of working against the teachings of Islam, could not be found among the sources consulted by the Research Directorate.

This Response was prepared after researching publicly accessible information currently available to the Research Directorate within time constraints. This Response is not, and does not purport to be, conclusive as to the merit of any particular claim to refugee status or asylum. Please find below the list of additional sources consulted in researching this Information Request.

References

Amal Human Development Network (AMAL). 4 December 2003a. "Home." http://www.amal-hdn.org/index.htm [Accessed 10 Dec. 2003]

_____. 4 December 2003b. "About Us." http://www.amal-hdn.org/about_us.htm [Accessed 10 Dec. 2003]

_____. n.d. "Achievements." http://www.amal-hdn.org/achievements.htm [Accessed 10 Dec. 2003]

_____. 16 October 2003. "Ongoing Projects." http://www.amal-hdn.org/ongoing_projects.htm [Accessed 10 Dec. 2003]

Pakistan Press International (PPI). 27 October 2003. "UN (UN Honour Two Pakistani NGOs for Outstanding Work)." (Dialog)

_____. 2 December 2002. "Special Report on Educating Children About HIV/AIDS." (Dialog)

Additional Sources Consulted

The Amal Human Development Network did not respond to a letter requesting information.

IRB Databases

WNC/Dialog

Internet sources, including:

Amnesty International

BBC

Country Reports on Human Rights Practices for 2002

Dawn [Karachi]

European Country of Origin Information Network (ECOI)

Human Rights Internet, Human Rights Databank

Human Rights Watch (HRW)

Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Refugees (UNHCR)

Internet sources, including:

Google