ISLAMABAD
\nPakis\u00adtan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history in 2023 with poverty, inflation and unemployment soaring, jeopardising millions of people\u2019s rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living, according to a report by the Human Rights Watch.
\nIn its 740-page \u2018World Report 2024\u2019, made available on Friday, the HRW reviewed human rights practices in more than 100 countries, and observed that the insistence of the International Monetary Fund (IMF) on austerity and the removal of subsidies without adequate compensatory measures resulted in additional hardship for low-income groups in Pakistan.
\nThe country remained exceedingly vulnerable to climate change and faced rates of warming considerably above the global average, making extreme climate events more frequent and intense, according to the report.
\nIncreasing repression by governments in Asia is negatively affecting human rights locally and internationally, the HRW said. Asia, unlike Europe, Africa and the Americas, lacks a meaningful human rights charter or regional institution to safeguard human rights standards, it adds.
\nIMF insistence on removal of subsidies sans compensatory measures adds to hardship for low-income groups
\nThe report says government threats and attacks on the media created a climate of fear among journalists and civil society groups, with many resorting to self-censorship. Authorities pressured or threatened media outlets not to criticise state institutions or the judiciary.
\nNGOs reported intimidation, harassment, and surveillance of various groups by government authorities. The government used its regulation of INGOs in Pakistan policy to impede the registration and functioning of international humanitarian and human rights groups.
\nThe report says violence against women and girls \u2014 including rape, murder, acid attacks, domestic violence, denial of education, sexual harassment at work, and child and forced marriage \u2014 is a serious problem throughout Pakistan. Human rights defenders estimate that roughly 1,000 women are murdered in so-called \u201chonour killings\u201d every year.
\nIn Punjab, 10,365 cases of violence aga\u00adinst women were reported to the police in the first four months of 2023, according to a local NGO. The actual number of incidents is likely to be much higher given barriers to reporting, harmful social nor\u00adms, and ineffective and harmful responses by the police. Pakistan\u2019s conviction rate for rape is less than three per cent.
\nOver six million primary school-age children and 13m secondary school-age children in Pakistan were out of school, most of them girls. The HRW found that girls miss school for reasons including lack of schools, costs associated with studying, child marriage, harmful child labour, and gender discrimination.
\nA lack of awareness about mental health in Pakistani society contributes to the abuse of those with psychosocial disabilities and mental health conditions.
\nPrisoners who ask for mental health support are often mocked and denied services. The prison system lacks mental health professionals, and prison authorities tend to view any report of a mental health condition with suspicion. Trans\u00adgender women, particularly in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, remained under attack.
\nNearly 37pc of Pakistan\u2019s 230 million people faced food insecurity as of 2018, yet only 8.9m families received assistance to mitigate the impact of rampant inflation.
\nIn July, the European Union proposed extending Pakistan\u2019s Generalised Scheme of Preferences Plus (GSP+) status by an\u00adother four years, enabl\u00ading Pakistan to enjoy trade preferences and access to the European market.
\nPakistan and China deepened their extensive economic and political ties in 2023, and work continued on the China-Pakistan Economic Corridor, a project consisting of the construction of roads, railways, and energy pipelines.
\n\u201cThe threats abusive governments in Asia pose to human rights domestically and internationally demand bold new appro\u00adaches from rights-respecting governments and democratic institutions,\u201d said Elaine Pearson, Asia director at HRW.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
ISLAMABAD Pakis\u00adtan faced one of the worst economic crises in its history in 2023 with poverty, inflation and unemployment soaring, jeopardising millions of people\u2019s rights to health, food and an adequate standard of living, according to a report by the Human Rights Watch. In its 740-page \u2018World Report 2024\u2019, made available on Friday, the HRW […]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":307445,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"closed","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[4],"tags":[13259],"class_list":{"0":"post-382065","1":"post","2":"type-post","3":"status-publish","4":"format-standard","5":"has-post-thumbnail","7":"category-national","8":"tag-human-rights-watch"},"yoast_head":"\n