Organisations working for women’s rights are already observing 16 Days of Activism (November 25 to December 10), an international campaign to end violence against women.
Human rights activist Abdullah Malik said civil society organisations would hold a vigil to mark International Human Rights Day today. He said the day was critical for Pakistan as a lot of human rights violation were taking place across the country.
“To mark this day we are organising a vigil at Chairing Cross. We will hold a special prayer for Malala Yousafzai and dedicate this day to that brave girl who stood against tyranny and those who are violators of human rights,” Malik said.
Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) Council Member Nadeem Anthony said the day was an occasion when activists and the government should review all laws related to human rights and see how they had been utilised over the year. He said the provincial Human Rights Departments and the Ministry of Human Rights should actively play its role on the day.
Human rights activist Napoleon Qayyum said the human rights situation in Pakistan remained alarmingly poor during 2012. He said there was a dire need for legislators to pass legislation on issues which were crippling society.
He said the blasphemy law had in particular been misused by many against opponents to settle personal scores or biases but not many legislators were speaking about this. He cited the case of Rimsha Masih as an example of an innocent Christian girl being trapped in a fabricated case.
“It is the responsibility of the state to work for all its citizens and give protection to its minorities in particular. If that doesn’t happen, there is no use giving speeches in hotel rooms on International Human Rights Day. We need to do practical things rather than giving speeches.
It is high time steps are taken to protect human rights for all and this can only happen when all minorities are considered equal citizens and treated like normal human beings and not like aliens,” Qayyum said.
Strengthening Participatory Organisation (SPO) Regional Head Salman Abid said human rights violations in the country couldn’t be put to an end until the government itself stopped violating human rights.
He said on this day the government itself should pledge to stop human rights violations and treat all its citizens equally.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 10th, 2012.
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