Lahore [Pakistan], August 30 : The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on Saturday released a charter of demands urging Pakistan to eliminate the heinous practice of enforced disappearances.
The HRCP charter stated that enforced disappearance is a crime against humanity under international law. The eight-point charter of demand called for the recovery of all victims of enforced disappearance promptly and safely and to present them before courts of law.
Additionally, those who stand accused of any crimes must be treated according to law and their rights of due process and fair trial must be upheld.
{{{{twitter_post_id####On International Day of the Victims of Enforced Disappearances, HRCP calls on the state to eliminate the heinous practice of enforced disappearances, acknowledging that it constitutes a crime against humanity under international law.
We demand the following of the federal… pic.twitter.com/YdhOtUOmtF
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) August 30, 2024
The charter further demanded that enforced disappearances must be treated as a matter of priority making the practice a criminal offence and rules must be made against it, the International Convention for the Protection of All Persons from Enforced Disappearances must be implemented in Pakistan, the entities involved in perpetrating or facilitating enforced disappearances, extrajudicial killings and the custodial torture of forcibly disappeared persons must be held accountable.
In addition, the charter stated that a transparent mechanism must be made for victims and their families to claim and receive reparations for violations of their right to liberty and due process, the victims' families are allowed to safely exercise their right to freedom of expression and assembly unhindered and the UN Working Group on Enforced or Involuntary Disappearances must be invited to the country for review.
Meanwhile, HRCP also released a report drawing attention to the violations of human trafficking in Pakistan. The report highlighted that human trafficking should be viewed in the context of human rights violations, as victims of human trafficking face torture, extortion, rape, blackmail, imprisonment and even death.
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انسانی اسمگلنگ کو حقوق کی خلاف ورزیوں کے تناظر میں دیکھا جائے
اسلام آباد، 28 اگست 2024: پاکستان کمیشن برائے انسانی حقوق (ایچ آر سی پی) نے اپنی حال ہی میں جاری کردہ رپورٹ "خطرناک سفر: پاکستان میں انسانی اسمگلنگ" کے ذریعے بے ضابطہ مہاجرین کے حقوق کی خلاف ورزیوں کی جانب… pic.twitter.com/fu9Ae5ZnTX
— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) August 28, 2024
The report highlighted that irregular migration through human trafficking networks is often the result of economic coercion, the HRCP report said. However, human trafficking has not received as much attention as other exploitative activities like human trafficking due to the general perception that migrants choose to cross borders illegally and thus accept the hardships and exploitation of the journey.
The report closely documented the journey of one irregular migrant, who had approached a human trafficking network to make the journey from Pakistan's Punjab to Turkiye (overland through Balochistan and Iran).
According to the report, the main causes of irregular migration from Pakistan are unemployment, lack of opportunities, poverty, insecurity and conflict. Human trafficking agents specialize in targeting the young and vulnerable and encouraging them to travel to Western countries.
The organized operations of human trafficking networks are similar to those of criminal enterprises. These networks are self-perpetuating and many former refugees become human traffickers themselves.
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