Over 700 complaints of human rights violations received during 2019-20: Sindh Human Rights Commission

Sindh Human Rights Commission
Sindh Human Rights Commission

Islamabad [Pakistan], August 27 (ANI): Referring to the annual report for the period 2019-20, the Chairperson of Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) retired Justice Majida Rizvi on Thursday said that 728 complaints of human rights violations were received in 2019-20.

These complaints relate to the instances of honour killings, kidnappings, domestic violence, harassment and forced marriages.

Rizvi called on Sindh Chief Secretary Syed Mumtaz Ali Shah at Sindh Secretariat and presented to him the annual report of the commission for 2019-20, Dawn reported.

According to the publication, in the meeting, the chairperson briefed the chief secretary on the performance of the SHRC. Referring to the report, she said that 728 complaints of human rights violations were received in 2019-20 pertaining to honour killings, kidnappings, domestic violence, harassment and forced marriages.

She said the SHRC had also opened an office in Sukkur and launched a website for public awareness.

Meanwhile, the Sindh chief secretary said that it should run an awareness campaign on the rights of women and children in the province. He further said that the Sindh government would provide all possible facilities to the commission to ensure the protection of human rights, reported Dawn.

US State Department has issued its report on human rights condition in different countries across the world. It has also discussed Pakistan, in terms of different issues including human rights violation, freedom of expression, the plight of minorities, militancy and other issues.

In the chapter on Pakistan, the report has mentioned "threats of violence, or unjustified arrests or prosecutions against journalists, use of criminal libel laws to prosecute social media speech and censorship, and site blocking."

A prominent feature of the rights report is the plight of women in Pakistan. The US State Department underlined a wide array of reasons for the plummeting women's rights in Pakistan and the increase in female marginalization in the country.

The report said that the reasons include bureaucratic corruption, a dearth of accountability and investigation, especially when it comes to violence against women, reported Pakistan Today (ANI)