KARACHI: Renowned human rights attorney of Pakistan and president of Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), Zia Ahmed Awan has said laws to protect women’s rights needed proper implementation in the country.
Speaking at a ‘4th National Women Conference’ arranged by Justice Helpline in a local hotel, he said “There are many laws to protect the rights of women and children, but sadly still no implementation on these laws was made across the county”.
Zia Awan said that he had conducted a lot of training programs for legal professionals including judges, prosecutors, protection officers and lawyers which brings a significant improvement for resolving the issues of women and children.
“There is also the conflict of law which needs to be resolved, he said,” adding child marriage interventions show that child marriage can be addressed only through a multi-dimensional approach.
Programs also need to change social norms and attitudes among decision-makers in the families, local influencers such as religious leaders, the officials responsible for enforcing laws, and institutions at all administrative levels, Zia Awan noted.
He said, “It is encouraging that the number of female judges and lawyers are rising; however, their proper training and sensitization the need of the hour”.
Zia Ahmed Awan said the government should allocate resources for this purpose. He said Pakistan is a signatory of many international conventions regarding the protection of the rights of women and children and it is our individual and collective responsibility to meet the requirements of these conventions.
Justice Helpline President Nadeem A Sheikh, MPA Shehla Raza, Majida Rizvi, Nuzhat, Shirin, Shahab Sarki, Advocate Saleem Micheal and others also spoke.
