Ministry of Human Rights (Pakistan) facts for kids
| وزارتِ انسانی حقوق | |
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| Agency overview | |
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| Jurisdiction | Government of Pakistan |
| Headquarters | 9th Floor, New Pak Secretariat (Kohsar Block). Sector F-5 Islamabad, Islamabad Capital Territory |
| Annual budget | 300 Million Rupees (2018-2019) |
| Minister responsible |
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The Ministry of Human Rights (Urdu: وزارت انسانی حقوق, often called MoHR) is a special part of the Government of Pakistan. It works to protect and promote human rights in Pakistan. Human rights are the basic rights and freedoms that belong to every person. This ministry helps make sure people are treated fairly and with respect.
The ministry is currently led by Khalil Francis, who is the Minister for Human Rights. A.D Khowaja is the Federal Secretary, which is another important leadership role. This ministry was created on November 3, 2008. It was formed from a part of the Ministry of Law and Justice. This showed how important human rights had become to Pakistan's leaders.
How the Ministry Started
The Ministry of Human Rights was first created a long time ago, in 1995 or 1996. This happened when Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto was in charge. At that time, it was a smaller department within the justice ministry. It had about 125 employees and four offices in different regions.
The ministry had a small budget back then. It often worked on individual cases and asked for help from groups that give money to support its activities. In 2000, a program was started to make prisons better. They also set up special funds. One fund was for women who were in trouble or held in custody. Another fund helped people who had been victims of human rights violations.
However, some people who watched human rights issues thought the ministry wasn't always very effective. For example, a report from the United States government noted that the Pakistani government didn't always act on important findings. This included a report from 1997 about women's issues.
New Efforts in 2008
In 2008, the government made new plans for the Ministry of Human Rights. They approved a plan to create a new, independent group called the National Human Rights Commission of Pakistan. This new group would be separate from other existing human rights organizations.
After he became minister, Mumtaz Alam Gillani announced new ideas. He planned to create special teams in different areas of the country. These teams would include journalists, community helpers, and social workers. Their job would be to look into cases where human rights were violated.
The ministry also announced plans for special courts just for human rights cases. These courts would be set up in different districts. The ministry also worked on a new law. This law would help find out what happened to people who had gone missing. Human rights groups believed many of these people might have been taken during Pakistan's fight against terrorism.
See also
- Human rights in Pakistan
- Women in Pakistan
