ZERO per cent. That is the conviction rate in crimes against women and children in Sindh, according to data shared with the Senate’s Functional Committee on Human Rights. Not only is that record shocking, but the provincial police chief also appears to have zero interest in the subject. In what the committee’s chairperson has considered “a serious violation of rules”, the IG Sindh remained absent for a briefing he was supposed to provide the Senate body on the issue last week. His lack of regard for “the growing number of cases of domestic violence, rape, murder, and other crimes in the province”, despite repeated reminders to attend, as regretted by the chair, can only be seen as a symptom of the cavalier attitudes that seem to be prevailing in Sindh — and indeed nationwide — when it comes to protecting the most vulnerable citizens. It emerged during the meeting that, out of the 1,058 cases filed, 985 remain in ‘pending’ state. The committee chair also highlighted incidents of rape in religious schools, asking why no action was being taken against those responsible. The Ministry of Human Rights secretary separately regretted provinces’ refusal to share relevant data, which has made fighting crime more difficult.

There appear to be a number of areas that need to be looked into urgently, some of which were also highlighted during the meeting. Despite the creation of the Zarra app, which is tasked with tracing and recovering missing children, it appears that public awareness regarding its services remains minimal, which has greatly limited its utility. Furthermore, the labyrinthine workings of the law seem to be discouraging ordinary people from going to court to seek redress for the crimes committed against them. This has particularly harmful consequences, especially in cases concerning domestic abuse, where the incentives for seeking justice are consistently outweighed by the potential costs of doing so. In some places, the law of the land seems to hold no sway, as dispute resolution continues to be overseen by jirgas operating under outdated and, often, backward customs. On the administrative end, prosecutors and investigators are often untrained or under-trained, which leads to weak prosecution of serious crimes. All of these are serious challenges for Sindh’s provincial authorities to resolve. Lastly, the provincial police, too, need to set their house in order. Their complacency is unacceptable.

Published in Dawn, September 16th, 2024