A prominent rights group in Pakistan has expressed “considerable alarm” over the state of religious freedom in the country. The problem is especially acute for Christian and Hindu girls and young women.
Given this ever-present emergency, some prominent figures and advocacy groups made an appeal yesterday, 10 December, Human Rights Day. Celebrated around the world, the observance commemorates the proclamation of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights by the United Nations General Assembly on 10 December 1948, 75 years ago.
The appeal is addressed to Pakistan’s police, judiciary, government officials, and political leaders to enforce the law and protect those who are victims of abuse.
Many civil society groups urge the government to uphold legal and administrative safeguards to protect ethnic and religious minorities from human rights violations and abuses.
“Successive governments have introduced a legal framework and established national human rights institutions,” explained Fr Abid Tanvir, vicar general of the diocese of Faisalabad; “however, women, people with disabilities, and religious minorities are still facing discrimination and exploitation for the lack of political will and insufficient allocation of resources to institutions.”