Latest news with #SindhHumanRightsCommission
Express Tribune
4 days ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Home-based women workers' rights ignored
Although the Sindh government has legislated a law to grant and protect rights of the women home based workers, a lack of implementation on the law continues to deny rights to these workers. A consultation meeting , organized in Sukkur by the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) and Bhittai Social Watch and Advocacy (BSWA) on Saturday night, shed light over the issue, identifying bottlenecks and suggesting solutions. The Sindh Home-Based Workers Act was legislated in 2018 to safeguard rights of the home based workers. Tens of thousands of women work in the province in the informal sectors like creating embroidery, crafting multi-coloured tapestry quilts called rilli in Sindhi language, date leaves and wheat straw, besides a range of other items. "The Act is a pioneering law in South Asia," observed Abdullah Dayo, Program Advisor at Friedrich Ebert Stiftung (FES). "We must now focus on implementing its rules to transform legal recognition into the real-world protections for women workers." Additional Inspector General of Police Gender and Human Rights Shahla Qureshi acknowledged the law's significance, underlining the need to integrate gender protection, coordination with anti-GBV services and proactive roles by police in facilitating survivors' access to support services without procedural delays. SSP informed about the role of Anti-Rape Crisis Cells (ARCCs) and the Gender Desks in assisting women workers. She encouraged greater coordination between police, SHRC, and CSOs for survivor-centered responses.
Express Tribune
28-04-2025
- Health
- 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.
Express Tribune
06-02-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
SHRC chairperson faces corruption charges
KARACHI: The Chief Minister's Inspection, Enquiries, and Inspection Team Department (CMIE&ITD) has launched an investigation against Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC) Chairperson Iqbal Ahmed Detho over allegations of corruption, nepotism, and misuse of office for personal gain. A special committee, which has been formed to probe these accusations, summoned Detho on February 7 to defend himself. The inquiry has been initiated on the directives of the provincial chief secretary, and the CMIE&ITD is expected to submit its findings within seven days. According to the complaint filed by National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) Member Sindh Anis Haroon and several human rights activists, Detho allegedly used his position to secure financial benefits for himself while extending undue favours to others. The complaint was submitted to senior officials, including the chief minister, chief secretary, and provincial secretary of the Human Rights Department. The complainants argue that the SHRC has been exploited for personal gain since Detho's appointment in March 2023. They have called for his removal from office, citing Section 6(D) of the Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act, which envisages the dismissal of the chairperson if they obtain direct or indirect benefits through the commission's operations. Detho has strongly refuted the allegations, stating that he intends to file a formal complaint against Anis Haroon with the NCHR. He accuses Haroon of exceeding her mandate and violating ethical and legal principles governing human rights institutions. "Her actions compromise the integrity and independence of the Sindh Human Rights Commission and contradict the Paris Principles and international human rights standards," Detho stated in his reaction, shared with The Express Tribune. Detho said that the SHRC is an independent provincial human rights institution established under the Sindh Protection of Human Rights Act (SPHRA), 2011, amended in 2022, in accordance with the Paris Principles. The SHRC remains the only provincial human rights body in Pakistan following the 18th constitutional amendment, playing a pivotal role in protecting and promoting human rights at the regional level.
