Committee directs stronger inter-ministerial coordination, stricter measures against social crimes, and a nationwide public awareness campaign
Islamabad (Izhar Khan Niazi): The National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights has expressed concern over the existence of different legal provisions regarding the minimum age of marriage across the federation and provinces, directing the Ministry of Human Rights to engage all provincial governments in establishing a uniform legal marriage age throughout Pakistan through effective and comprehensive measures.
The Committee’s meeting was held on Wednesday in Committee Room No. 7 of Parliament House, Islamabad, under the chairmanship of MNA Asiya Naz Tanoli. The session was attended by members of the National Assembly, senior officials of the Ministry of Human Rights, and representatives of relevant institutions.
During the meeting, the Committee appreciated the successful organization of the Ninth Ministerial Conference on Women of the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) held in Islamabad. Members observed that the conference would contribute to promoting women’s social and economic empowerment, digital inclusion, and greater political participation.
The Committee also expressed concern over the performance of relevant ministries and institutions in addressing major social issues, including rape, harassment, child sexual abuse, drug abuse, and organized begging. Members noted that weak coordination among government departments has significantly hampered the effective implementation of policies, with many initiatives remaining limited to documentation rather than practical enforcement.
The Ministry of Human Rights was directed to establish an effective coordination mechanism among all relevant ministries and agencies to ensure a unified strategy against social problems. The Committee also instructed the Ministry to launch a comprehensive public awareness campaign through the media to educate citizens about the Ministry’s services and the assistance available to them.
The meeting further received briefings on the performance and challenges of the National Commission on the Status of Women (NCSW) and the Child Protection Institute. Representatives of both institutions requested the Committee’s support for increased budget allocations and the immediate recruitment of staff against vacant positions, stating that additional resources would enable them to perform their responsibilities more effectively.
The meeting was attended by Daniyal Chaudhry, Shamsher Ali Mazari, Zeib Jaffar, Tamkeen Akhtar Niazi, Dr. Nelson Azeem, Sehar Kamran, Shahida Rehmani, Naveed Amir, Sabeeheen Ghouri (via Zoom), Syeda Nosheen Iftikhar, along with senior officials from the Ministry of Human Rights and other relevant institutions.