The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), an independent watchdog on human rights, released its annual report on Monday.

In it, the Commission documented the positive development in the country, including the new legislation passed to protect the transgender community and the registration of Sikh marriages, amongst other notable changes. But the report also warned of a rise in violence against women, cases of child sexual abuse, censorship and restriction on the freedom of movement of citizens.

Here are the main takeaways from the report titled, ‘State of Human Rights in 2018’.

The positives of 2018

• Pakistan passed the Transgender Persons (Protection and Rights) Act 2018 that provides fundamental rights to the community and recognizes them as per his or her self-perceived gender identity.

• The long-ignored and under-developed Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) was merged with the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province in 2018, ending the reign of the draconian, colonial-era Frontier Crimes Regulations.

• Sindh had the highest legislative output, closely followed by Punjab. Two significant Acts passed by the Sindh government were The Sindh Maternity Benefits Act 2018, and the Sindh Home-Based Workers Act 2018. 

• The report notes that while the incident of intolerance and violence against minorities continued, one bright prospect was the acquittal of Asia Bibi by the Supreme Court.

• The Punjab government passed a landmark Bill ‘The Punjab Sikh Anand Karaj Marriage Act 2018’ providing for the solemnisation and registration of Sikh marriages. 

Negatives of 2018

• The HRCP writes that while “suo motu interventions by the Supreme Court proliferated, the long-awaited reform of the criminal justice system was put on the back burner.”

• At the end of 2018, 4,688 prisoners were on death row. Nearly 14 people were executed last year. 

• Requests for country visits from UN Special Rapporteurs on extrajudicial executions; the situation of human rights defenders; the promotion and protection of human rights while countering terrorism; freedom of religion or belief; and torture and other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment, remains pending. 

• According to the HRCP, there were 845 incidences of sexual violence against women and 316 crimes in the name of ‘honour’ against both men and women.

• Child sex abuse incidents registered an uptick. There was an increase of 32 per cent in the first six months of 2018 compared to the same period the previous year.

• Cybercrime and online harassment across Pakistan saw an exponential rise in cases. 

• Jails across Pakistan are holding up to 57 per cent more inmates than their capacity. 

• On the freedom of movement, it noted that official restrictions on movement were imposed on people attending political and protest rallies. 

• Pakistan’s internet freedom ranking declined in 2018, due to the cybercrime law, internet shutdowns, and cyber-attacks against political dissenters. A Freedom Network report documented more than 150 violations, including verbal threats, killings, harassment, arrests, abductions and physical assaults, against journalists and media groups across the country between May 2017 and April 2018. 

• The restrictions and banning of INGOs continued in 2018 with 18 ordered to wind up and leave the country by November 30. 

• Pakistan was named once again the second worst country in terms of gender equality in the world by the Global Gender Gap Index 2018. 

• Only four per cent of children in Pakistan receive a ‘minimally acceptable diet’ according to a United Nation’s report. 

• In the Thar, Sindh, 638 children died of malnutrition in 2018.

• An estimated 12 million children are involved in child labour in the country. 

• The number of out-of-school children has risen from 22.63 to 22.84 million.

• The Punjab government’s Integrated Project for Elimination of Child and Bonded Labour 2014, launched by the previous government claimed to have removed 88,000 children from brick kilns and rescued around 41,000 from child labour in other sectors. “However, activists and people working with brick kiln labourers said that the schools were empty and children were still working,” the report added.

• The official data on literacy and numeracy skills has not been updated since 2016-17 when a two per cent drop was recorded in adult literacy from 60 to 58 per cent.

• Pakistan has increased spending on education both as a percentage of its Gross Domestic Product (from 2.6 per cent in 2017 to 2.8 per cent in 2018)

• The country’s spending on the health sector is still less than one per cent of its GDP whereas WHO recommends it should be around 6 per cent. 

• The country is becoming increasingly depressed, according to the Pakistan Association for Mental Health. There is no evidence that Pakistan has developed a coordinated national strategy to achieve the objectives of WHO’s comprehensive mental health action plan (2013-2020).