Rights activists staged a rally here on Monday to urge the government to take tangible steps for the protection of the rights of women and religious minorities.
The rally, observed to mark the International Human Rights Day, was titled Make Our Voice Count. It was organised by the Association of Women for Awareness and Motivation (AWAM) and the Peace and Human Development (PHD) Foundation) in collaboration with the Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD), Idara-i-Samajhi Behbood (ASB), the CARE Foundation, the Insan Welfare Foundation Pakistan (IWFP) and the Aitbaar Foundation.
The rally started from the Press Club and culminated at Circular Road.
MPA Anjum Safdar, AWAM Director Nazia Sardar, CARE Foundation President Yousaf Adnan, and Bushra Khaliq, director of the Women Initiatives for Self Empowerment (WISE), led the rally.
The participants condemned the inhumane and unethical treatment of women and religious minorities in Pakistan and demanded legislation against domestic violence, police torture of suspects and forced conversion.
They also urged the government to revise the related laws and pass a comprehensive law against acid crime. They said that the existing law passed in 2011 did not carry a provision of treatment of acid victims. It also did not put a ban on producing, supplying, buying and selling of acid in the market, they said.
The participants raised slogans against different forms of human rights violations in Pakistan. They held placards and banners criticising various forms of discrimination and violence towards the women and religious minorities.
They demanded that the government safeguard life, liberty, properties, religious sites and graveyards of religious minorities and increase the representation of the women and religious minorities in the government.
They also urged the political parties to get women candidates and minorities directly elected on general seats by awarding them party tickets for the 2013 general elections.
Students, lawyers and representatives of trade unions, political parties and civil society organisations participated in the rally.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 11th, 2012.
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