ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s human rights ministry recently announced it had launched the “Awaz” mobile application to report missing children and human rights violations across the country, saying the move would ensure a “quick and coordinated response” from authorities to curtail the menaces.
Kidnapping of children and subsequent sexual abuse has made headlines in Pakistan over the past few years. According to an annual report by Pakistani non-governmental organization “Sahil,” a total of 1833 abduction cases for children were reported across the country in 2023. Out of these, 105 (6 percent) cases were reported of sexual abuse after abduction.
Human rights violations in the South Asian state include restrictions on freedom of speech, extrajudicial killings, and torture, affecting marginalized communities, activists, and journalists. In 2020, Pakistan’s parliament passed the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill to ensure a speedy recovery of abducted children apart from all cases of kidnapping, rape, and murder of minor children to be investigated within three months.
“We are proud to introduce the Awaz app, which marks a significant milestone in our ongoing commitment to human rights,” Law Minister Azam Nazeer Tarar was quoted as saying by the rights ministry on Sunday. “It underscores our dedication to leveraging technology to ensure swift and effective action on every report and to uphold justice with unwavering resolve.”
The ministry said that the app allows users to report human rights violations, including missing or abducted children, and ensure “a quick and coordinated response” from authorities and community organizations.
The mobile app is currently available for download on Android operating system while an iOS version would be released “soon,” the ministry said.