The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Government has constituted special committees in all districts to monitor human rights situation with the respective Deputy Commissioners heading them, Dawn reported on August 30. A notification issued by the law and human rights department said the Chief Minister had formed the District human rights committees under Section 4 of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Promotion, Protection and Enforcement of Human Rights Act, 2014. The committees will be headed by the respective deputy commissioners as their chairpersons and will comprise Superintendent of Police (investigation), Superintendent of Prisons, District officer (male/female) of the Education Department, District Health Officer, District Social Welfare Officer and two representatives of civil society to be nominated by the chairperson.
The committees will monitor the overall human rights situation in the respective Districts, investigate the cases of human rights violations, visit jails for monitoring human rights of inmates, go to hospitals for assessing provision of facilities to visitors, visit places of detention (Police Stations) on complaint of torture, inspect schools, colleges and universities for creating rights awareness, visit orphanages and shelter homes, identify and recommend cases for the relief of the human rights violation victims through the relevant organisations, and mobilise local community and encourage their participation for promotion and protection of human rights.