Faisalabad: Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) on Friday raised issues concerned with human rights violations of minorities in Pakistan, marking International Human Rights Day.
This came after the HRFP in collaboration with Global Human Rights Defense (GHRD) organised an event on the UN theme of ‘EQUALITY’ to observe the International Human Rights Day.
The event was held at Faisalabad press club in Pakistan, in presence of media workers. During the event, the human rights groups raised issues concerned with human rights violations of minorities in Pakistan.
GHRTV with civil society and stakeholders also partnered with HRFP.
“The minorities, women, and children are most vulnerable, being easy targets,” said Naveed Walter, President of HRFP during the event, adding that “The alarming increase in abductions, forced conversion and forced marriages of minority girls has reached 1500 a year.”
“A forced conversions bill was forwarded in Parliament for legislation but that was rejected saying it an un-Islamic which is a clear message about the seriousness of authorities, the President added.
“Abductions, forced conversions and forced marriages are the concerning issues to minorities while the culprits and facilitators never brought to justice,” a human rights activist Lala Robin Daniel informed during the event.
He said that Pakistan’s judicial system has been ranked 126th of 130th.
Meanwhile, the Human Rights Focus Pakistan (HRFP) also informed that it will issue an annual report in January 2022 about the atrocities on minorities in Pakistan in 2021.
In other similar developments, political activists also held protests on the occasion of International Human Rights Day in different parts of the world demanding that Pakistan should protect its minorities.
The protests were held in Vienna, Hague, Paris, Taipei and other cities of the world.
In The Hague, the members of Pakistan’s minority communities like Christians, Hindus and Shias jointly held a protest rally on Friday.
Human Rights Day is celebrated on December 10 every year in all countries of the world under the supervision of the United Nations.
On December 10, 1948, the Universal Declaration of Human Rights was declared by the General Assembly of the United Nations.
In Pakistan, a series of protests and seminars were held to mark the day.
A protest rally was held across the country by the Christians and Hindus to demand legislation against forced conversion.