Civil society, rights activists protest constant harassment of women students in Pakistan's Sindh

Karachi [Pakistan], February 14 (ANI): Expressing concerns over the constant harassment of female students at Sindh's universities, rights activists have staged a protest criticising Pakistan's provincial government for its failure to stop these kind of incidents.
The News International reported that a large number of civil society and women's rights activists took part in the demonstration on Sunday.
Sindh Women Development Minister Syeda Shehla Raza, and the Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan's Senator Khalida Ateeb and MNA Kishwer Zehra also attended the protest to show solidarity with the victims of gender-based violence at the province's academic institutions.
Quoting the speakers at the protest, The News International reported that the civil society and women's rights groups view sexual harassment at educational institutions with great concern, adding that the recent case of Parveen Rind, a nursing house officer at the Peoples Medical University Nawabshah, is reminiscent of the atrocities committed against Noshin Shah, Nimrata Kumari and Naila Rind.
Furthermore, they said that the literacy rate is already low in the country, but it is even lower for girls, adding that after rising harassment cases, the civil society is afraid that girls who have access to education can also be forced to stay at home.
"Because of it, the country will lag far behind in the race for development," civil society groups said in a joint statement cited by The News International.
The speakers demanded that the provincial government find those responsible for sexual harassment at higher educational institutions and punish them severely.
The incident comes amid the annual report of State of Human Rights in Pakistan released by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) for the year 2020 that has set alarm bells ringing over the plight of women in the country. (ANI)