Global Human Rights Defence (GHRD), a Netherland based international NGO organized a press conference focusing on the atrocities and human rights violations in Pakistan and China. Those addressing the attendees include Dr Naseer Dashti of Baloch Human Rights Council (BHRC) and Dr Lakhu Luhana of the World Sindhi Congress (WSC). At the press conference, Emma Barnard, Coordinator for team Pakistan at GHRD, said that they conduct research and voice concerns for the atrocities and the human rights violations against minorities and marginalized groups in Pakistan.
“We think of women and children, disabled children, religious minorities such as Hindus and the Christians but also the LGBTQ plus community. They continuously face issues such as force conversions, forced marriages, honour killings a discriminatory application of the blasphemy laws,” she said at the press conference.
She added, “We have extensively focussed on issues such as child labour. Research has shown since 1996 at least 3.3 million children in Pakistan are trapped in the Child labour industry simultaneously being deprived of their health, education and childhood. Following that, we also focussed on the lack of access to education for children in Pakistan. In 2020 alone, units have estimated that 22.7 million children are unable to attend school.” She pointed out that violence against women and children in Pakistan is an ever-growing problem that needs to be addressed and needs urgent attention.
“Estimates tell us that 32 per cent of Pakistani women have experienced some form of physical violence whether on streets or in the workplace. 40 per cent of women suffer domestic abuse then risks being normalized in the eyes of their daughters,” said she while giving out the numbers at the press conference. Dr Lakhu Luhana of World Sindhi Congress speaking on the issues that the people of Sindh face, said, “More than 67 per cent of girls are out education in Pakistan.
There is 80 per cent of the schools don’t have water or sanitation facilities. According to the supreme court, the drinking water that the people of Sindh use, 80 per cent of it not suitable for even animal consumption and creating a pandemic of disease.” Marco Respinti, Director in charge of Bitter Winter, an online magazine on religious liberty and human rights all over the world whose core business remains China , commented on issues in China. “In China today, there is what we call, the war on the very idea of god. Communist China has always judged religion as unnatural and thus sooner and later doomed to extinction while awaiting this faith the CCP has contributed to reaching the extinction of religion with varying degrees of harshness,” he said.