ISLAMABAD – The Ministry of Human Rights is launching Pakistan’s firstHuman Rights Information Resource Portal, developed in partnership with theEuropean Union in Pakistan.
The Portal has been envisioned to serve as a central repository ofup-to-date and cutting-edge human rights knowledge for students, academics,practitioners, and the citizenry at large.
The Portal will serve as a platform for increasing awareness about humanrights laws, practices, and gaps; facilitating the development of newinitiatives, research, policies, and solutions in the field of human rightsin Pakistan. It will include comprehensive material on Pakistan’s domesticinstitutional human rights framework and international commitments; as wellas relevant reports and publications that have been published by thegovernment, civil society organizations, and UN agencies on critical humanrights issues.
The portal will enable users to learn about rights guaranteed to themthrough the Constitution as well as federal and provincial legislation.Laws are categorized according to provinces as well as thematic areasincluding Civil, Political, and Economic Rights; Child’s Rights; Women’sRights; and Rights of Minorities. Information is also available on variousinstitutions and bodies designed to promote and protect human rights at thefederal and provincial level; including legislative bodies, human rightscommittees, provincial human rights departments, and statutory bodies.
Comprehensive training resources and materials will also be available onthe portal for the benefit of human rights practitioners and personnel. Thetraining resources cover a range of topics such as Pakistan’s InternationalHuman Rights Obligations and Human Rights Data Collection andDocumentation. Further custom training resources will be aimed at enhancingthe capacity of the judiciary, prosecution, and law enforcement agencies.
Speaking about the launch of the Portal, Federal Minister for Human Rights,ShireenMazari said, “The Human Rights Resource Portal is an important andinnovative initiative that increases the availability and accessibility ofinformation that is integral for promulgating greater awareness about humanrights in Pakistan. Ultimately we are hopeful that it will cultivategreater civic engagement and play a part in creating an enablingenvironment for citizens to exercise their rights in Pakistan.”
The Secretary for Human Rights, Mr Inamullah Khan also spoke about thesignificance of this initiative. “The collaboration between the EuropeanUnion in Pakistan and the Ministry of Human Rights in establishing thisportal is a quintessential step towards ensuring good governance. Theplatform will ensure that students, academics, practitioners, policymakers,and the general public have access to updated and relevant information forthe protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan.”
The Ambassador of the European Union, Ms AndroullaKaminara, also emphasizedher appreciation of this initiative that is in line with the priority 2 ofthe Democracy, Rule of Law, Good Governance, and Human Rights of theStrategic engagement plan concluded between the Government of Pakistan andthe European Union. She stated “Access to information is crucial forcitizens in an open democratic and transparent society. The comprehensivecollection and digitalization of key information about Human Rights inPakistan and open access to all Pakistani citizens is an important steptowards this goal.”
The portal can be accessed on the Ministry of Human Rights websitelink or through the following link:link