With a number of rallies, sports competitions, events, and Aurat March held in Pakistan, the most celebrated singer Ali Zafar announced to make every effort to work for the women rotting in prisons and render justice to them.
Due to lack of legal representation, a number of innocent women have been locked up in jails for years, the singer maintained in a show on ARY Digital that aired on the occasion of International Women’s Day.
The discussion surfaced in Pakistan’s one of the most-watched shows “Sar-e-Aam” hosted by Iqrar-ul-Hassan in a special episode dedicated to women in the country.
There are countless innocent & poor women in jail for years due to lack of legal representation. Today, on #WomensDay I vouch to do my best, in my humble capacity, to get them the aid needed to fight for their freedom & justice but together we can do more. Join us @AliZFoundation pic.twitter.com/EYFcvWqmzm
— Ali Zafar (@AliZafarsays) March 8, 2021
The singer precisely broached the female Under Trial Prisoners (UTPs) who have suffered their entire life owing to lack of legal aid.
There are cases of women who are not even offenders but have been thrust into spending their lives in prisons with nearly no facilities.
Meanwhile, the female prisoners with petty crimes await their trials for ages and are compelled to serve their golden years behind the bars.
As per a report by Pakistan’s Human Rights Ministry, Pakistan’s prison laws did not meet international standards, and that officials often ignore laws meant to protect women-prisoners.
Nearly of 1,121 females in prisons as of mid-2020, 66 % had not been convicted of any offense and were detained while awaiting the conclusion of their trial, report by the ministry said.
While talking to News360, Khair-un-Nisa from Women Aid Trust (WAT), confirmed the plight of women prisioners and maintained that most of the female UTPs who are imprisoned were found not guilty.
However, due to pending cases, they are compelled to live behind iron bars.
More than 300 women were detained in facilities outside the districts where they lived, making family visits nearly impossible, the report added.
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“The prisoners included 46 women over the age of 60 and 10 girls under the age of 18. Only 24 female health workers are available to provide full-time care to women and girls in prisons across the country”, the report claimed.
Whereas, the mothers with their children face additional risks and snags with no health care and other rehabilitation facilities.
As per report, some 134 women have children with them in prison, some as old as 9 and 10, despite the legal limit of 5 years.
As of 2020, around 194 children were housed in prisons along with their mothers.
According to an International Non-Governmental Organization, Human Rights Watch, “Pakistan needs urgent and comprehensive prison reform, with a particular focus on the rights of women, children, and at-risk prisoners”.
While a number of celebrities and prominent personalities across Pakistan were busy in rallies and different events in connection with the day, Ali Zafar called attention to the women suffering behind the bars of prisons for years.