SHRC, NARI Foundation hold seminar: Call for multi-sectoral action to combat malnutrition in Sindh
In his opening remarks, Iqbal Detho, Chairperson of SHRC, underscored the Commission's growing role in promoting the right to food and nutrition as a core human right.
He emphasised the urgent need for inter-sectoral collaboration, policy coherence, and strong local leadership to ensure that nutrition-sensitive initiatives are embedded into district-level planning.
He also announced the SHRC's pilot implementation of the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act 2023, starting from Sukkur. Rajveer Singh Sodha, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Human Rights, fully endorsed the multi-sectoral, nutrition-sensitive strategies presented by stakeholders.
Applauding SHRC's integrated approach to rights — including the intersection of nutrition, legal entitlements, and business responsibility—he assured that the consultation's key recommendations will be conveyed to the chief minister for policy action and institutional follow-up.
'Access to nutrition is a constitutional right. Malnutrition in areas like Tharparkar demands urgent, targeted intervention,' he asserted.
The technical sessions featured vibrant dialogue among panelists from the health, education, agriculture, social welfare, women development, and human rights sectors, highlighting systemic challenges and missed opportunities in nutrition programming.
Kashif Siddiqui, public health expert, presented critical gaps such as underfunding, lack of clear rules under the Food Fortification Act 2021, and weak implementation of legal frameworks.
Panelists praised existing initiatives like the Mumtaz Programme under Social Protection and the government's birth registration drives, while urging for enhanced budgetary allocations, inter-departmental coordination, gender-responsive nutrition strategies and transparency and accountability mechanisms.
Dr Fozia Khan from the Education Department reaffirmed that nutrition has been included in the curriculum and emphasized the need for financial backing for effective roll-out.
Legislators including Dr Fouzia Hameed, MPA and member of the Standing Committee on Health, and Dr Sham Sundar, MPA and Parliamentary Secretary for Transport & Mass Transit, echoed these concerns.
Dr Fouzia called for the establishment of nutrition and daycare centers across all government departments, including the Sindh Assembly, setting a precedent for institutional support.
Dr Sham Sundar emphasized the need for cross-sectoral accountability and committed to following up within parliamentary frameworks.
The consultation revisited key legislation, including the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act 2023 and the Sindh Food Fortification Act 2021, and called for their full-scale implementation to combat the province's stubborn malnutrition trends.
Anwar Mahar, Executive Director of NARI Foundation, acknowledged the valuable contributions of parliamentarians, departmental heads, and civil society leaders.
He reaffirmed NARI's commitment to working with SHRC and partners to push forward the nutrition and human rights agenda across Sindh.
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Express Tribune
30-06-2025
- Express Tribune
Sindh's largest mental health hospital struggles
The proper functioning of Sindh's largest mental health care facility, which even serves patients from South Punjab and Balochistan, remains handicapped due to shortage of doctors and staff. Some other funding woes of Sir Cowasjee Jehangir Institute of Psychiatry and Behavioral Sciences, aka Giddu hospital in Hyderabad, also surfaced during the recent visit of the Sindh Human Rights Commission's Chairman Iqbal Ahmed Detho. Although the Sindh government has earmarked Rs651 million for the hospital, including Rs377 component for salaries and allowances of employees, the 500-beded hospital is confronted with severe staff shortage. "There are 12 operational wards but we are coping with a crisis of not being able to run the facility 24/7," a senior officer, who requested anonymity, told The Express Tribune. According to him, there are six posts of psychiatrists but five of them are vacant. Likewise, the sanctioned strength of the lower staff is 225 but 92 of these posts are also vacant. On the day of the visit on June 26 some 313 out of the 500 beds were occupied, according to Medical Superintendent Dr Nisar Ahmed Soho. The recently built ward number five with its 200 beds is expected to see its inauguration in August. "Even if it is inaugurated, how can we run it with the staff scarcity," the officer said. The budget 2025-26 has set aside slightly over Rs90 million for the institute's medicines and Rs78 million for patients' meals. But both the allocations, according to the hospital's officers, fall short of their actual expenditures. "Last year we received around Rs65 million for medicines and about Rs30 million from that amount was spent on epilepsy medicines alone," the source claimed, pointing out that the health condition technically fell under the domain of neurology and not mental health services. "Yet we have to provide services to thousands of epilepsy patients because it has been the norm for decades." The provincial government provides Rs270 per meal per patient with an annual allocation of Rs78 million for the upcoming fiscal. However, the institute needs Rs147.825 million for a three-time meal per year in view of the 500 beds, notwithstanding the addition of 200 more beds. The substance abuse in the society is increasing alarmingly but the institute's 50-bed narcotics rehab ward is also not fully functional, reportedly. A doctor, who also wanted to remain anonymous, claimed that in view of the cases requiring admission for rehab, the ward's capacity is too low. The infrastructure repair and maintenance works have also become a bane for the administration. The facility is dependent on the Provincial Buildings Department for such works. In March this year, the MS wrote separate letters to the department for repair works in washrooms and to fix leakage in the water tank. "... this office is unable to carry out any work without funds. When the funds are available the work will be carried out," the department's executive engineer replied to the MS, repeating the same excuse in both his correspondences. Referring to these issues, the SHRC's Chairman underscored that institutional coordination is indispensable "to mitigate vulnerabilities faced by individuals with mental illnesses". Detho suggested that a committee should be formed to address the persistent gaps.
Business Recorder
06-06-2025
- Business Recorder
SHRC, NARI Foundation hold seminar: Call for multi-sectoral action to combat malnutrition in Sindh
KARACHI: A renewed call for integrated, multi-sectoral action to combat malnutrition in Sindh echoed across the provincial consultative seminar on nutrition, jointly organized by the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and the NARI Foundation in Karachi. The high-level dialogue brought together policymakers, parliamentarians, technical experts, and civil society actors to chart a more coordinated and rights-based approach to food and nutritional security. In his opening remarks, Iqbal Detho, Chairperson of SHRC, underscored the Commission's growing role in promoting the right to food and nutrition as a core human right. He emphasised the urgent need for inter-sectoral collaboration, policy coherence, and strong local leadership to ensure that nutrition-sensitive initiatives are embedded into district-level planning. He also announced the SHRC's pilot implementation of the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act 2023, starting from Sukkur. Rajveer Singh Sodha, Special Assistant to the Chief Minister on Human Rights, fully endorsed the multi-sectoral, nutrition-sensitive strategies presented by stakeholders. Applauding SHRC's integrated approach to rights — including the intersection of nutrition, legal entitlements, and business responsibility—he assured that the consultation's key recommendations will be conveyed to the chief minister for policy action and institutional follow-up. 'Access to nutrition is a constitutional right. Malnutrition in areas like Tharparkar demands urgent, targeted intervention,' he asserted. The technical sessions featured vibrant dialogue among panelists from the health, education, agriculture, social welfare, women development, and human rights sectors, highlighting systemic challenges and missed opportunities in nutrition programming. Kashif Siddiqui, public health expert, presented critical gaps such as underfunding, lack of clear rules under the Food Fortification Act 2021, and weak implementation of legal frameworks. Panelists praised existing initiatives like the Mumtaz Programme under Social Protection and the government's birth registration drives, while urging for enhanced budgetary allocations, inter-departmental coordination, gender-responsive nutrition strategies and transparency and accountability mechanisms. Dr Fozia Khan from the Education Department reaffirmed that nutrition has been included in the curriculum and emphasized the need for financial backing for effective roll-out. Legislators including Dr Fouzia Hameed, MPA and member of the Standing Committee on Health, and Dr Sham Sundar, MPA and Parliamentary Secretary for Transport & Mass Transit, echoed these concerns. Dr Fouzia called for the establishment of nutrition and daycare centers across all government departments, including the Sindh Assembly, setting a precedent for institutional support. Dr Sham Sundar emphasized the need for cross-sectoral accountability and committed to following up within parliamentary frameworks. The consultation revisited key legislation, including the Sindh Protection and Promotion of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Act 2023 and the Sindh Food Fortification Act 2021, and called for their full-scale implementation to combat the province's stubborn malnutrition trends. Anwar Mahar, Executive Director of NARI Foundation, acknowledged the valuable contributions of parliamentarians, departmental heads, and civil society leaders. He reaffirmed NARI's commitment to working with SHRC and partners to push forward the nutrition and human rights agenda across Sindh. Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
Express Tribune
28-04-2025
- Express Tribune
SHRC urges occupational safety for sanitary workers
The Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), while censuring the Sindh Local Government Department over the recent deaths of two sanitary workers in Umerkot, has lamented that the rules of occupational safety are being shrugged off with impunity. The two sanitary workers, Raj Ashok Marvari and Sooraj Lonio, died while cleaning a manhole on April 26, while Ravi Marvari and Chaman Marvari, fell unconscious. According to statistics compiled by SHRC member Boota Imtiaz, in a period of around five years till 2024, at least 21 sanitary workers died in separate incidents of poisoning in manholes and septic tanks. About 12 of them died in Karachi, and five in Hyderabad. Some of the workers worked for the municipalities while others were private workers. SHRC's Chairman, Iqbal Ahmed Detho, in a letter addressed to the provincial and Umerkot based LG officials on Monday, stated "[The] standards of occupational safety are completely ignored while sending the sanitary workers inside sewer manholes due to which lives are endangered." The chairman highlighted that the workers die in the manholes owing to the non-provision of Personal Protection Equipment (PPE), which the Sindh Occupation Safety and Health Act, 2017, has necessitated. He also recalled that the Sindh Occupational Safety and Health Rules, 2019, made the use of breathing apparatus, or hose masks with blowers, mandatory in atmospheres considered dangerous to life or health. Moreover, standby men are also supposed to accompany workers along with rescue equipment. Further, workers who enter a "sewer, flue, duct, or other similarly confined places, are supposed to be provided, and are required to wear, safety belts with life lines attached and held by another person stationed at the opening, ready to respond to agreed signals." The Act and the Rules also provide for workplace safety for labourers engaged in professions which expose their lives and health to certain risks. The chairman also referred to the Occupational Safety and Health Convention, 1981, which calls for providing adequate protective clothing and equipment to the workers; and the Social Security (Minimum Standards) Convention, 1952, which stipulates the provision of employment injury benefits. Chairman Detho asked the LG department and municipal authorities to issue clear policies for the implementation of the 2017 Act and 2019 Rules.
