MINISTRY OF HUMAN RIGHTS

2019-07-16

2019-07-16
MoHR Press Release National Child Protection Centre Islamabad in collaboration with Pakistan Institute for Rehabilitation Centre Islamabad, ISRA University provided glasses to 15 street children, enrolled in non formal section of NCPC. These children belong to the needy families residing in Kachi Abadies of Sector I-9 and I-10, Islamabad. The Centre, along with other activities of child protection, is providing pick and drop services to the street children for Non-Formal Education on daily basis and further mainstreaming in government / non government educational institutions.

2019-07-16
MoHR Press Release Dated: 11-07-2019 Islamabad: Ambassador of the European Union to Pakistan Jean-François Cautain paid a farewell call on the Federal Minister for Human Rights Dr Shireen M Mazari here in Islamabad on Thursday.

2019-07-05
MoHR Press Release Dated: 04-07-2019 Islamabad: The Ministry of Human Rights has identified key priority areas to create awareness on the prevention, protection and redress of issues related to the rights of the child. On Thursday, 4th July 2019, the Ministry of Human Rights in collaboration with European Union launched an awareness campaign to educate people about Protecting Our Children: Preventing Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan. “Safeguarding children is our Islamic duty, our constitutional duty and is in line with our International commitments of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The government through the Ministry of Human Rights is committed to fulfilling obligations to our children”, said Dr Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights in Pakistan in her speech addressing the esteemed participants of the event. Addressing the event, Federal Minister Dr Mazari said that Ministry of Human Rights Focusing on Protection of Children from Child Abuse. She said the issue of child abuse should not be treated as social taboo adding that we are hesitant to speak about this issue instead of educating our children. She stressed the need to make it a disgraceful act and said we need to recognize this issue and the parents and teachers should realize their responsibility and should be open with their children and students and informing them about child abuse and its preventive measures. She said that besides, legislation and its implementation, awareness is important in fighting this issue. Dr Mazari said that education institutions can play an important role to prevent child abuse and to educate students; she also talked about parents and teachers’ role to aware children about child abuse. She shared that Ministry of Human Rights Ministry of human rights has established helpline 1099 to report issues related to human rights abuses including the child abuse. She said that the Zainab Alert Bill was still in National Assembly’s standing committee adding that the proposed law would ensure protection of rights of children. Ms. Rabia Javeri Agha, Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights while talking to the key stakeholder and participants of the event shared the National Plan of Action for the Rights of the Child. She explained how the ministry has a wholistic approach to ensure that the rights of the child are addressed properly. This is primarily done through ensuring prevention, protection, rehabilitation/reintegration, participation and learning mechanisms. The government is interested in creating behavior change through targeted awareness campaigns, enforcing justice and making systemic change through the establishment of institutions i.e. the National Commission on the Rights of the Child. Reported cases of child abuse increased by 11 per cent in year 2018 compared to 2017, with more than 10 children suffering some form of abuse every day in Pakistan last year. The Protect Our Children initiative aims to inform the public especially families, care givers and parents about the importance of noticing the signs of child abuse so that children can be protected and supported in order to be taken out of such situations. Goodwill Ambassador for the Campaign, Shehzad Roy (Sitara -e- Imtiaz) in his speech emphasized the need for such initiatives and also provided insight on how important it is for the Pakistani society to notice the signs that child survivors of abuse and exploitation express silently. Roy also mentioned that these signs often go unnoticed as the perpetrators in most cases are known by the child or the family. “We’ve come leaps and bounds in recent years by successfully advocating for both defensive and preventive policies to combat child abuse. From passing bills criminalizing corporal punishment through to the integration of life skills-based education in some provincial government schools. It is to be hoped that now millions of children will be saved from abuse. While these are major strides, changes in law and policy, there is a need for acceptance and ownership by the community and parents in particular” said Roy in his key note address. Federal Ministry of Human Rights (MoHR) collaborated with children, the key stakeholder, for legal and policy reforms to enforce child rights across Pakistan, highlighting the positive outcomes of the synergy between the Ministry and children. Participating child representatives (Fariha Zamir and Qaiser Khan ) explained how those laws led to the establishment of pilot child courts in provincial and federal capitals in the country, in collaboration with a visionary judiciary. Towards the end, the children pledged to continue their work with the federal MoHR, combine efforts for juvenile justice reform, legislation, building capacities and developing response mechanisms to contribute to the overarching goal of promoting child rights and ensuring justice for children in the country. On this occasion, some short documentaries were also shown to the participants to give them awareness and to take different preventive measures. The participants of the event included Ambassadors and dignitaries from various EU countries and UN Agencies as well as INGO, NGOs, Academia and Civil Society Organizations.

2019-06-26
MoHR Press Release Dated: 26-06-2019 Islamabad: The Ministry of Human Rights in collaboration with UNICEF launched a campaign "We the Future" today on Wednesday to highlight the achievements of outstanding Pakistani adolescents who have worked hard to achieve their dreams and to inspire other young persons across the country. ‘We the Future’ aims to raise awareness about the role that adolescents can play in Pakistan. By highlighting the achievements made by the youth as role models from across Pakistan, this driven initiative aims to motivate other adolescents to be confident about also achieving their dreams. The platform is also used to highlight the potential of adolescents to express themselves and their capacity to contribute meaningfully to the development of their communities and to the country at large. The Minister for Human Rights, Dr Shireen M Mazari, in her statement said “the Ministry of Human Rights, in line with the PTI Government’s policy is committed and focused on alleviating the problems confronting children of Pakistan today. She added that “the Ministry will further the rights of children as laid down in our Constitution and will work to stop all manner of child abuse including child labour”. She said that “at a time like this, stories of young people who have overcome all odds to further their talents are very inspirational because these young people are role models for future generations and send a positive message to the youth of today that they can do whatever they want”. Dr Mazari further added that ‘the future of Pakistan is our youth realising their potential. Human Rights Ministry is committed to ensuring youth are given their rights so they can pursue their dreams’. The UNICEF Representative, Ms. Aida Girma said that ‘the campaign will be instrumental in increasing the capacity and confidence of adolescents and will encourage them to creatively express themselves in the public domain. She added that, the objective is to use these empowering videos to raise awareness on the creativity and potential of adolescents as change makers, whilst creating space for their engagement and collective dialogue’. Pakistan has a young populace with approximately 40 million adolescents (aged 10-19 years) who represent 21% of our population. These youngsters however face a range of challenges on their journey to adulthood. Among these are disparities are access to basic services and education. Some11.2 million adolescents (52 percent girls) between the ages of 10-14 do not receive formal education. Lack of education, social and economic exclusion often generates limited opportunities for adolescents, particularly girls and increase chances of abuse and exploitation. Investing in adolescents is crucial for national development. The long term economic benefits of investing in adolescents ensure empowerment and a stronger labour force, thus defeating the cycle of poverty.