The seventh annual report of the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) painted a depressing picture of what life is like for the people of the province. 738 cases of human rights violations pertaining to crimes like forced marriages, extremism, gender-based violence, honour killings, workplace harassment, torture and religious intolerance were reported–the key word here is ‘reported’. The number is likely to go up if we account for all the crimes that have been committed under the government’s radar. And while this is worrying, it is not at all surprising considering that Sindh has remained a hotspot for such violations for many years.
According to the report for the year 2021-2022 published by the SHRC, 28 districts of Sindh were highlighted to have a bad track record for human rights violations, and these include all those far-flung areas that severely lack government oversight. This means that not only is there no authoritative body to enforce the law in such districts, but most people and victims have no one to turn to in times of trouble. As a result, a concerning lack of order has ensued in some regions where perhaps some of the most gruesome crimes are committed against minorities, women, children and any vulnerable faction of the population–most recently flood victims as well.
The report is meant to shine a light on the various initiatives taken by the government and to determine whether any sort of progress has been made in improving the crisis in the province. Unfortunately, all the signs would suggest that most actions have been superficial at best. Enacting legislative reforms to ban forced conversions or marriages is surely an achievement but if there exists a serious problem of implementation then these actions amount to little in the grand scheme of things. From 2008 to 2022, only policy actions were taken across the country and, unsurprisingly, Sindh was home to the smallest number of them; six.
There is clearly a problem that has been identified and acknowledged in Sindh and there seems to be some desire on part of the government to fix it, but it has not been acted upon with the kind of dedication that is needed. In the face of annual reports highlighting serious human rights violations in Sindh, such negligence on part of the authorities cannot and must not continue.
https://www.nation.com.pk/26-Jan-2023/human-rights-crisis
