NAWABSHAH:National Disability and Development Forum (NDF) in collaboration with the Human Rights Department, Government of Sindh organized one-day seminar “Human Rights Advocacy is need of Hour” held at Shaheed Benazir University Nawabshah.
Addressing the Seminar NDF president Abid Lashari said Human Rights were equal to everyone & entitled at the International level to enjoy it.
He said human rights violation was reported in each society but strict law enforcement has controlled it widely through justice for all.
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights protects Human Rights without any discrimination. In our society there was a lack of Human Rights Advocacy, lacking information on whom to contact to address issues & protect human Rights.
Lashari said the Sindh government in reference to the Universal Declaration of Human Rights has brought laws to protect human rights at the provincial level and brought some known laws/Acts such as the Domestic Violence Act 2013, Hindu Marriage Act 2018, Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act 2018, Sindh Child Marriage Act 2013, Sindh Human Rights Act 2012, Compulsory Education Act & others.
These laws protect human rights locally. The government of Sindh has the department of Human Rights to protect & promote human rights in the province and create awareness in this regard, to enable the population to claim and exercise their rights, to train/educate the concerned authorities to fulfil their duties within the ambit of laws & bridge the gaps between the masses, concerned departments and public.
In the province, there was Provincial Human Rights Vigilance Committee, having members from each district to seek support to report human Rights Violations & advice to promote human rights at the grassroots level.
He termed the said committee as the voice of unheard voices.
Every human being should play a role to spread out human rights advocacy to make it public know the rights to enjoy, every human has an equal right to enjoy as others but we are far away from our entitled rights because of injustices, discrimination, poor attitudes, delayed justices, disappointments, all factors which create hindrance/barrier to access right, needed to be removed, we need barrier-free society.
Which was our dream, Social activist Mehboob Dehraj said that youth can play a vital role to spread human rights advocacy.
HWA president Akram Khaskheli said our society was facing human rights violations and no one was spared but still hope alive to survive, we need to access justice, if the poor he/she can access free legal aid from Human Right Department & its partner organizations.
Moazam Jatoi from Legal Aid Society (LAS) told that LAS was actively promoting human rights by providing legal Aid & advocacy.
Sabir Hussain Qureshi, Abdul Latif, Lal Chand Lohano, Rafiq Ahmed Buller, Tariq Hussain Channar, Manthar Magsi, Asma Munir Arain & others also spoke on the occasion.