ISLAMABAD - Ministry of Human Rights on Thursday held an awareness-raising and sensitisation workshop on laws related to child domestic workers, child abuse and transgender persons for Islamabad police.
In this session, 36 police representatives from different offices of Islamabad police participated.
Addressing the occasion, Joint Secretary, Ministry of Human Rights, Dr. Akhtar Abbas said, “Ministry of Human Rights has taken several legislative and institutional measures to ensure the protection of human rights in the country.
Last year, Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act 2020 was passed by the Parliament and through an amendment child domestic labour was categorized as a “hazardous occupation” under Schedule 1 of the Employment of Children Act 1991.”
He reiterated Ministry’s commitment to preventing Human Rights violations in the country. “Earlier in June, Shaheed Aitzaz Hasan Child Protection Institute was inaugurated in Islamabad to protect vulnerable and at-risk children from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, neglect, maltreatment, exploitation and abuse under the ICT Child Protection Act 2018,” he said.
As police is one of the most significant institutions working for the protection of the people of Pakistan, therefore, it is necessary to engage them in awareness-raising and sensitisation programmes where they are informed about the legislation protecting human rights.
The workshop was focused on three main legislations i.e. Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act 2020, the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018, and the Employment of Children Act 1991.
The participants were also informed about the Ministry’s Redressal Mechanism that is in place to provide legal advice and support to the survivors of human rights violations e.g. Family Protection and Rehabilitation Centre in Islamabad that provides shelter to vulnerable women and children, Child Protection Institute, MoHR’s Toll-Free Helpline #1099 and the soon to be inaugurated Transgender Protection Center under the Transgender Persons (Protection of Rights) Act 2018.