On this occasion, the Lahore High Court has directed the Punjab Government on comprehensive directives to improve the conditions of Women Shelter Homes (Dar-ul-Aman) in the province. These improvements include first removing the male staff from such facilities, developing a centralized monitoring database, and finally placing within each center, the installation of CCTV cameras for better oversight and security.
These were added as part of the petition by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and others on the grounds that there were insufficient protection measures for girls and women in these shelters and that they were not strictly following the Child Protection Act and women’s rights.
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Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh issued an exhaustive 36-page verdict after hearing the arguments from both sides. The Punjab government has been ordered by the court to promulgate within six months the rules that shall govern all shelters, protective centers, and child protection institutions under the Punjab Protection of Women against Violence Act, 2016. These rules are geared towards standardizing their operations and care.
In addition, the court also directed the establishment of women’s protection committees in every district and additionally called for a comprehensive staff training program in the protection system. Further, every District and Sessions Judge shall compulsorily visit to inspect the mentioned Dar-ul-Amans at least once every two months for monitoring purposes.
Vocational training programs must be established within the homes for the economic empowerment of such women by the court. The court has further asked the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau to formulate by-laws regarding the protection of children in these institutions, make their registration proper, and establish child protection units at tehsil and district levels.
Also, as one of the rules to bring about transparency, the court had ordered the establishment of a special website, where useful information would be publicly available about Dar-ul-Aman and all other shelter homes.