PTI / Jan 20, 2024,
Pakistan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history, jeopardising millions of people's rights to health and food, Human Rights Watch said, underling that the cash-strapped country remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change.It also said that the International Monetary Fund's policies have resulted in additional hardship for low-income groups.A non-profit with headquarters registered in New York, the Human Rights Watch investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. The latest 740-page ‘World Report 2024' released on Friday has reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries.Read More
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ISLAMABAD: Pakistan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history, jeopardising millions of people's rights to health and food, Human Rights Watch said, underling that the cash-strapped country remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change.
It also said that the International Monetary Fund's policies have resulted in additional hardship for low-income groups.
A non-profit with headquarters registered in New York, the Human Rights Watch investigates and reports on abuses happening in all corners of the world. The latest 740-page ‘World Report 2024' released on Friday has reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries.
“With poverty, inflation, and unemployment soaring, Pakistan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history, jeopardizing millions of people's rights to health, food, and an adequate standard of living,” it said.
“The insistence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on austerity and the removal of subsidies without adequate compensatory measures resulted in additional hardship for low-income groups,” it said.
“Pakistan remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change and faced rates of warming considerably above the global average, making extreme climate events more frequent and intense,” it added.
Under ‘Freedom of Expression and Attacks on Civil Society Groups,' the HRW report said, “Government threats and attacks on the media created a climate of fear among journalists and civil society groups, with many resorting to self-censorship. Authorities pressured or threatened media outlets not to criticise government institutions or the judiciary.”
It quoted the example of journalist Imran Riaz Khan, who on May 11 last year, was arrested as he was attempting to take a flight to Oman. “Khan returned home on September 25 (but) he has not been presented in court at any time since his arrest,” the report pointed out.
The document also commented on Pakistan's sedition law, which it said, “is vague and overly broad and has often been used against political opponents and journalists” and described how while the courts have tried to declare it as unconstitutional, the government has thwarted the attempts with continued usage against critical voices.
In the section, ‘Freedom of Religion and Belief,' the report pointed out how Pakistan has not “amended or repealed blasphemy law provisions that have provided a pretext for violence against religious minorities and left them vulnerable to arbitrary arrest and prosecution.”
It gave examples of how members of the Ahmadiyya religious community continue to be a major target for prosecutions under blasphemy laws and specific anti-Ahmadi laws and that of a Christian settlement in Punjab province was attacked by several hundred people but made no mention of Hindu or Sikh minorities.
Pointing out that human rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in so-called “honour killings” every year in Pakistan, the report said, “The United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) estimates that 18.9 million girls in Pakistan are married before the age of 18 and 4.6 million before 15.”
“Women from religious minority communities remain particularly vulnerable to forced marriage. The government did little to stop such early and forced marriages,” it added.
It also painted a dismal picture related to the rights of children, disabled persons, and in the field of sexual orientation and gender identity.
Pakistan faced worst economic crises in 2023: What report reveals
ANI |
Jan 20, 2024
Pakistan remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change and faced rates of warming considerably above the global average, as per the report.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said that Pakistan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history in 2023, with poverty, inflation and unemployment soaring, jeopardising millions of people's rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living, Dawn newspaper reported.
Pakistan remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change and faced rates of warming considerably above the global average, making extreme climate events more frequent and intense, according to the report.
The HRW said that Asia, unlike Europe, Africa and the Americas, lacks a meaningful human rights charter or regional institution to safeguard human rights standards.
ANI |
Jan 20, 2024
Pakistan remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change and faced rates of warming considerably above the global average, as per the report.
Human Rights Watch (HRW) has said that Pakistan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history in 2023, with poverty, inflation and unemployment soaring, jeopardising millions of people's rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living, Dawn newspaper reported.
A dark street in a commercial area in Lahore, Pakistan.(Bloomberg)
In its 740-page 'World Report 2024', made available on Friday, the HRW reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries, and observed that the insistence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on austerity and the removal of subsidies without adequate compensatory measures resulted in additional hardship for low-income groups in Pakistan.
In its 740-page 'World Report 2024', made available on Friday, the HRW reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries, and observed that the insistence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on austerity and the removal of subsidies without adequate compensatory measures resulted in additional hardship for low-income groups in Pakistan.
Pakistan remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change and faced rates of warming considerably above the global average, making extreme climate events more frequent and intense, according to the report.
The HRW said that Asia, unlike Europe, Africa and the Americas, lacks a meaningful human rights charter or regional institution to safeguard human rights standards.
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The report says government threats and attacks on the media created a climate of fear among journalists and civil society groups, with many resorting to self-censorship. Authorities pressured or threatened media outlets not to criticise state institutions or the judiciary, as per Dawn.
NGOs reported intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of various groups by the government authorities. The government used its regulation of NGOs in Pakistan to impede the registration and functioning of international humanitarian and human rights groups.
According to the report, violence against women and girls, including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, denial of education, sexual harassment at work, and child and forced marriage, is a serious problem throughout Pakistan. Human rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in so-called "honour killings" every year.
In Pakistan's Punjab, 10,365 cases of violence against women were reported to the police in the first four months of 2023, according to a local NGO. The actual number of incidents is likely to be much higher given barriers to reporting, harmful social norms, and ineffective and harmful responses by the police. Pakistan's conviction rate for rape is less than three per cent.
Over six million primary school-age children and 13 million secondary school-age children in Pakistan were out of school, most of them girls. The HRW found that girls miss school for reasons including lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child marriage, harmful child labour, and gender discrimination.
The report says government threats and attacks on the media created a climate of fear among journalists and civil society groups, with many resorting to self-censorship. Authorities pressured or threatened media outlets not to criticise state institutions or the judiciary, as per Dawn.
NGOs reported intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of various groups by the government authorities. The government used its regulation of NGOs in Pakistan to impede the registration and functioning of international humanitarian and human rights groups.
According to the report, violence against women and girls, including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, denial of education, sexual harassment at work, and child and forced marriage, is a serious problem throughout Pakistan. Human rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in so-called "honour killings" every year.
In Pakistan's Punjab, 10,365 cases of violence against women were reported to the police in the first four months of 2023, according to a local NGO. The actual number of incidents is likely to be much higher given barriers to reporting, harmful social norms, and ineffective and harmful responses by the police. Pakistan's conviction rate for rape is less than three per cent.
Over six million primary school-age children and 13 million secondary school-age children in Pakistan were out of school, most of them girls. The HRW found that girls miss school for reasons including lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child marriage, harmful child labour, and gender discrimination.
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