Pakistan

Christians in Pakistan continue to face state-sponsored discrimination and violence.

Franciscans International continues to remain gravely concerned about the various human rights abuses committed against the Christian minority in Pakistan. Existing legislation blatantly discriminates against Christians. The Blasphemy Laws, for example, require death penalty for those who publicly speak against Islam. The Law of Evidence further subjugates Christians, allowing the courts to judge the testimony of one Muslim man equal to the testimony of two non-Muslim men or four non- Muslim women. Recently, also the violence against the Christian minority has escalated, culminating in the killing of 16 Christians in a church in Bahawalpur, five in Islamabad, six in a school in Murree, four in a missionary hospital in Texila and seven Christian human rights defenders last 25 September in the office of the Justice and Peace Committee in Karachi.

During the CHR, our organization will urge the Pakistani authorities:

1. to repeal all discriminatory laws, including the Blasphemy Laws section 295 B and 295 C of the Pakistan Penal Code;
2. to ratify the International Covenant on Civil and Political Rights and its Optional Protocols, the International Covenant on Economic, Social and Cultural Rights, the Convention against Torture and the Convention on the Protection of the Rights of All Migrant Workers and Members of their Families;
3. to cooperate fully with the existing CHR special procedures;
4. to take stronger and clearer measures to protect the lives, dignity and honour of all minorities, including the Christian minority, in the country.

Further, child labour has assumed epidemic proportions in Pakistan and it can be reasonably estimated that 11 to 12 million children are affected. In addition, half of them are under the age of ten. Children make up a quarter of the unskilled work force, they earn on average a third of an adult wage and can be found in virtually every factory, every workshop and every field. Some industries, notably the carpet making and the brick making industries cannot survive without them.

Though the Pakistani Constitution prohibits slavery, forced labour, trafficking of human beings and employment of children below the age of 14 or any hazardous employment, there are unfortunately many examples demonstrating that these rules are not implemented and that children’s rights are not adequately protected. In light of this, Franciscans International will call upon the responsibility of the Pakistani government to enact national laws and administrative measures regarding child labour and the enjoyment of right to education for every child.