Task force on human rights at district, provincial levels recommended

ISLAMABAD: In a bid to ensure effective implementation and enforcement of human rights laws, members of the National Task Force (NTF) on Human Rights Thursday proposed establishing task forces on rights at district and provincial levels.

The development came during a meeting of the body chaired by Federal Minister for Law and Justice Azam Nazeer Tarar and was spearheaded by Federal Secretary for the Ministry of Human Rights AD Khwaja.

The task force also called for establishing the Commission for Minority Rights in collaboration with the Ministry of Religious Affairs besides emphasising harmonising the legal age of marriage nationwide to 18 years.

The meeting expressed concern over the incidents of mob violence, hate speech, and youth radicalisation and recommended devising strategies to address these tendencies at every level.

During the huddle, National Commission on the Rights of Children Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq suggested amending the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and making national identity cards mandatory for marriage to combat child labour and underage marriages.

She also stressed for harmonising the laws related to child rights and child protection. About harmonising the legal age of marriage to 18 for children nationwide, the Secretary MOHR was asked to convene a separate meeting with all representatives.

The NCHR chairperson emphasised the importance of implementing laws effectively and establishing protection centres to safeguard transgender rights.

She also voiced concerns about rising youth radicalisation and societal intolerance, stressing the need for equitable access to law and equal protection for all, regardless of religion.

A separate meeting was proposed to devise a strategy to curb mob violence and hate speech on social media, along with initiatives for youth de-radicalization.

Regarding child labour,  the meeting suggested amending the PPC to standardise the legal age as 18. It was also recommended to make national identity cards mandatory for marriage to prevent underage marriages.