Protection of Human Rights

You are a human being. You have rights inherent in that reality. You have dignity and worth that exist prior to law. ~Lyn Beth Neylon

Human Rights are simply, basic rights and freedoms that all people are entitled to regardless of nationality, sex, ethnicity, race, religion, language, or other status.

Human rights are an important aspect anywhere, and play an important role in any society. However, human rights are violated brutally across the globe too. Merciless killings, massacres in the name of religion, murders in the name of ethnicity, squandering of rights in the name of discrimination and so on. Pakistan is certainly a country, where unfortunately, the issue of human rights is also a complicated one. One of the basic reasons that contribute to this situation is the amount of diversity in Pakistan. People of Pakistan consist of different ethnicities, religions and races. The constitution of Pakistan provides basic human rights such as freedom of speech, religion and press to the citizens, but sadly, they are often violated in the name of politics, ethnicity and religion.

Pakistan suffers from a lot of ‘practices’ that are clearly in violation of human rights. Acts such as honor killing (Karo Kari), mob justice, religious intolerance, discrimination against minorities and so on. Such practices squash the whole concept of human rights six feet under.

The protection of human rights in Pakistan is definitely complicated, but not impossible. One of the most important things is to spread awareness. Pakistan’s diversity is really amazing, and every picture has another side too. We might never know what a local figurehead might preach his men. But we do know that it could be hatred against other sects and minorities. To stop this, we need a proper monitoring department that can go through the system locally and then make proper amendments if required. It is also needed that people are made aware of the reality.

Education is a backbone of any nation or society. Illiteracy is responsible for many human rights related problems currently in Pakistan. To protect these rights we must educate the people. A person who is not educated, and has no idea about the written texts and so on, can actually believe things that don’t even exist. Hence, if anything is imposed on them, they might actually end up believing it, even though it might be based on some personal opinions and not facts. They would keep on believing that as the ultimate truth, and yet they would have no way to find out the reality behind the whole concept that has been put on them.

Another step that can be taken to reduce human rights violation is the establishment of a proper department that deals with such cases. Though, already many non-government organizations are already working in this field, but they’re not enough. This department should deal with human rights, and should be based on experienced staff and volunteers too, who can work with the Government of Pakistan to ensure that the cases are dealt in a rightful and just manner. Mostly people justify their anti human rights acts by saying that it’s part of their so-called religion, ethnic customs and so forth, which is indeed a terrible justification. No religion/ ethnicity/ community pro-mote hatred or the right to do such inhumane acts. Some people’s personal opinions and thoughts are hidden beneath the cover of other things, such as religion etc.

Human rights protection must be made sure to keep harmony in a society. Oppression and violation can lead to catastrophic situations, which can put the future of a nation in jeopardy. Not only such damages would affect the nation in short run, but also the long term effects would dent the country further. Human rights are not just government’s responsibility; each and every citizen is responsible for it. We can only get rid, or at least reduce such practices, only if every citizen, non-government organizations, student bodies and government work together with a common goal.

Let’s all hope for a better future, and let’s hope that all the people who are deprived of freedom get it with all our efforts.

Zeeshan Ahmed

ISRA University, Hyderabad