Human rights and civil society activists discussed a draft law criminalising the use of torture on detainees by law enforcement and security agencies in a meeting here on Wednesday.
Bushra Khaliq of the Anti Torture Alliance (ATA) Pakistan said that more than 40 organisations from all four provinces had endorsed the draft law, which was drawn up by civil society groups.
“ATA Pakistan intends to facilitate the Government of Pakistan for making effective legislation against torture for a just society.
The proposed law will now be forwarded to the government to legislate on the subject,” she said, according to a press release.
The federal government ratified the United Nations Convention Against Torture and Other Cruel, Inhuman or Degrading Treatment or Punishment (UNCAT) in 2010.
The convention requires member states to take effective measures to prevent torture in their countries.
Khaliq said that the government had done the right thing by signing the convention, but it had not taken any significant measures to prevent torture. She said that more than a thousand cases of torture are reported each year, but many people were afraid to report torture as they were required to report to the law enforcement agencies, which were the ones to torture them in the first place.
“Therefore, it is imperative to initiate meaningful efforts to protect victims of torture by urging and assisting the government to introduce a law against torture. For this purpose, there is an urgent need to forge unity and develop consensus among various sections of society, including civil society, lawmakers, media people and politicians to accelerate efforts for the mitigation of this menace,” she said.
She said that the ATA, a platform of civil society organisations, was trying to raise awareness of the UNCAT and to mobilise legislators to pass laws to stop torture.
Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2012.
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