Convention on the prevention and the punishment of the crime of

genocide :
Pakistan signed this treaty on 11 December 1948 and ratified it on 12 October 1957. After the
events of holocaust in world war 2 by Nazi regime the UN proposed the convention with
following aims and to prevent :

 killing members of the group;

 causing serious bodily or mental harm to members of the group;
 deliberately inflicting on the group conditions of life calculated to bring about its
physical destruction in whole or in part;
 imposing measures intended to prevent births within the group and forcibly
transferring children of the group to another group.

The Convention also declares that there shall be no immunity, persons committing this crime
shall be punished regardless of their status. Furthermore, the Convention stipulates that
persons charged with genocide shall be tried by a competent tribunal of the State in the
territory in which the act was committed or by such international penal tribunal as may have
jurisdiction with respect to the Contracting Parties. The Convention does not establish a specific
monitoring body or expert committee; instead it stipulates that Contracting Parties may call
upon the competent organs of the UN to take such action under the UN Charter, which they
consider appropriate for the prevention and suppression of acts of genocide. Thus, the matter
may be brought before the International Court of Justice which may order interim measures of
protection.

 International Convention on the Suppression and Punishment of the

Crime of Apartheid :
Pakistan ratified this treaty on 27 February 1986. This convention has 19 Articles to meet
following objectives :
Considering the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, which states that all human beings are
born free and equal in dignity and rights and that everyone is entitled to all the rights and
freedoms set forth in the Declaration, without distinction of any kind, such as race, colour or
national origin, Considering the Declaration on the Granting of Independence to Colonial
Countries and Peoples, in which the General Assembly stated that the process of liberation is
irresistible and irreversible and that, in the interests of human dignity, progress and justice, an
end must be put to colonialism and all practices of segregation and discrimination associated
therewith, Observing that, in accordance with the International Convention on the Elimination
of All Forms of Racial Discrimination, States particularly condemn racial segregation and
apartheid and undertake to prevent, prohibit and eradicate all practices of this nature in
territories under their jurisdiction, Observing that, in the Convention on the Prevention and
Punishment of the Crime of Genocide, certain acts which may also be qualified as acts of
apartheid constitute a crime under international law. United Nations has adopted a number of
resolutions in which the policies and practices of apartheid are condemned as a crime against
humanity.

International covenant on civil and political rights

Pakistan ratified this convention on 23 June 2010.
United Nations, recognition of the inherent dignity and of the equal and inalienable rights of all
members of the human family is the foundation of freedom, justice and peace in the world.
Recognized that in accordance with the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, the ideal of
free human beings enjoying civil and political freedom and freedom from fear and want can
only be achieved if conditions are created whereby everyone may enjoy his civil and political
rights, as well as his economic, social and cultural rights. The obligation of States under the
Charter of the United Nations to promote universal respect for and observance of human rights
and freedoms.

Convention against Torture and other inhuman or Degrading

Punishment :
Pakistan ratified this treaty on 23 June 2010.
Torture is a particularly serious violation of human rights and as such is strictly condemned by
international law and, in particular, by the Universal Declaration of Human Rights, article 5,
which states that 'No one shall be subjected to torture or to cruel, inhuman or degrading
treatment or punishment'.To ensure adequate protection for all persons against such abuses,
the United Nations has sought for many years to develop universally applicable standards. The
Convention against Torture ..., which was adopted by the General Assembly of the United
Nations on 10 December 1984, and many other relevant conventions, declarations and
resolutions adopted by the international community, clearly state that there may be no
exception to the prohibition against torture.The Convention against Torture not only specifies
that the States Parties will outlaw torture in their national legislation, but also notes explicitly
that no order from a superior or exceptional circumstance may be invoked as a justification of
torture

International Convention on Elimination of all forms of Racial

Discrimination :
Pakistan Ratified this treaty on 21 September 1966.
The United Nations International Convention on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination
(CERD) builds upon the 1963 Declaration on the Elimination of All Forms of Racial Discrimination.

The Declaration makes four principal points:

 Any doctrine of racial differentiation or superiority is scientifically false, morally

condemnable, socially unjust and dangerous and has no justification in theory or
practice.
 Racial discrimination and more so government policies based on racial superiority or
hatred violate fundamental human rights, endanger friendly relations among peoples,
co-operation among nations, and international peace and security.
 Racial discrimination harms not only those who are its objects but also those who
practice it.
 A world society free of racial segregation and discrimination, factors which create
hatred and division, is a fundamental aim of the United Nations.
Convention on the Rights of Child :
Pakistan ratified this treaty on 12 November 1990.
Children because of their vulnerability, need special care and protection and this convention
places special emphasis on the primary caring and protective responsibility of the family. It also
reaffirms the need for legal and other protections for the child before and after birth, the
importance of respect for the cultural values of the child’s community and the vital role of
international cooperation in securing children’s rights.

Optional Protocol on the Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child

Pornography
Pakistan ratified this convention on 5 july 2011
The Protocol provides definitions for the offences of ‘sale of children’, ‘child prostitution’ and
‘child pornography’. It also creates obligations on governments to criminalize and punish the
activities related to these offences. It requires punishment not only for those offering or
delivering children for the purposes of sexual exploitation, transfer of organs or children for
profit or forced labour, but also for anyone accepting the child for these activities. The Protocol
also protects the rights and interests of child victims. Governments must provide legal and
other support services to child victims. This obligation includes considering the best interests of
the child in any interactions with the criminal justice system. Children must also be supported
with necessary medical, psychological, logistical and financial support to aid their rehabilitation
and reintegration.

Convention on Rights of Persons with Disabilities :

Pakistan Ratified this treaty on 5 July 2011
The Convention follows decades of work by the United Nations to change attitudes and
approaches to persons with disabilities. It takes to a new height the movement from viewing
persons with disabilities as “objects”  of charity, medical treatment and social protection
towards viewing persons with disabilities as “subjects” with rights, who are capable of claiming
those rights and making decisions for their lives based on their free and informed consent as
well as being active members of society.

The Convention is intended as a human rights instrument with an explicit, social development
dimension. It adopts a broad categorization of persons with disabilities and reaffirms that all
persons with all types of disabilities must enjoy all human rights and fundamental freedoms. It
clarifies and qualifies how all categories of rights apply to persons with disabilities and identifies
areas where adaptations have to be made for persons with disabilities to effectively exercise
their rights and areas where their rights have been violated, and where protection of rights
must be reinforced.

Convention on Elimination of All Forms of Discrimination against

Women :

Pakistan accessed to this treaty on 12 march 1996.

The Convention defines discrimination against women as any distinction, exclusion or

restriction made on the basis of sex which has the effect or purpose of impairing or nullifying
the recognition, enjoyment or exercise by women, irrespective of their marital status, on a basis
of equality of men and women, of human rights and fundamental freedoms in the political,
economic, social, cultural, civil or any other field."

By accepting the Convention, States commit themselves to undertake a series of measures to

end discrimination against women in all forms including:

 to incorporate the principle of equality of men and women in their legal system, abolish
all discriminatory laws and adopt appropriate ones prohibiting discrimination against
women;

 to establish tribunals and other public institutions to ensure the effective protection of
women against discrimination; and
  to ensure elimination of all acts of discrimination against women by persons,
organizations or enterprises.

Geneva Convention 1949 :

Pakistan signed this convention on 6 December 1951.
In 1949, an international conference of diplomats built on the earlier treaties for the protection
of war victims, revising and updating them into four new conventions comprising 429 articles of
law. The Geneva Conventions apply in all cases of declared war, or in any other armed conflict
between nations. They also apply in cases where a nation is partially or totally occupied by
soldiers of another nation, even when there is no armed resistance to that occupation. Nations
that ratify the Geneva Conventions must abide by certain humanitarian principles and impose
legal sanctions against those who violate them
Geneva Convention of 1949 to 64 articles that protect the following:
Wounded and sick soldiers ,Medical personnel, facilities and equipment
Wounded and sick civilian support, personnel accompanying the armed forces, Military
chaplains ,Civilians who spontaneously take up arms to repel an invasion.

Hague Protocol for Protection of Cultural Property :

Pakistan ratified this on 27 March 1959 :

It covers immovable and movable cultural heritage, including monuments of architecture, art or
history, archaeological sites, works of art, manuscripts, books and other objects of artistic,
historical or archaeological interest, as well as scientific collections of all kinds regardless of
their origin or ownership.

The States Parties to the Convention benefit from their mutual commitment, with a view to
sparing cultural heritage from consequences of possible armed conflicts through the
implementation of the following measures:

 Adoption of peacetime safeguarding measures such as the preparation of inventories,

the planning of emergency measures for protection against fire or structural collapse,
 the preparation for the removal of movable cultural property or the provision for
adequate in situ protection of such property, and the designation of competent
authorities responsible for the safeguarding of cultural property.

 Respect for cultural property situated within their own territory as well as within the
territory of other States Parties by refraining from any use of the property and its
immediate surroundings or of the appliances in use for its protection for purposes likely
to expose it to destruction or damage in the event of armed conflict and by refraining
from any act of hostility directed against such property.

 Consideration of the possibility of registering a limited number of refuges, monumental

centres and other immovable cultural property of very great importance in
the International Register of Cultural Property under Special Protection order to obtain
special protection for such property.

 Consideration of the possibility of marking of certain important buildings and

monuments with a distinctive emblem of the Convention.

 Establishment of special units within the military forces to be responsible for the
protection of cultural property.

 Sanctions for breaches of the Convention.

 Wide promotion of the Convention within the general public and target groups such as
cultural heritage professionals, the military or law-enforcement agencies.

Hague Abduction Convention :

Pakistan ratified this convention on 22 December 2016.

The Hague Convention on the Civil Aspects of International Child Abduction or the Hague
Abduction Convention was designed to protect children internationally from the harmful
effects of their wrongful removal or retention by their parents. The two main purposes of the
Hague Convention are to ensure the prompt return of children to the state of their habitual
residence when they have been abducted and to ensure that rights of custody and of access.

International Convention for the Suppression of the "White Slave

Traffic” :
Pakistan ratified this convention on 12 November 1947
The Sovereigns, Heads of States, and Governments of the Powers hereinafter designated, Being
equally desirous of taking the most effective steps for the suppression of the traffic known as
the ‘White Slave Traffic’, have resolved to conclude a Convention with this object, and a draft
thereof having been drawn up at a first Conference which met at Paris from 15 to 25 July 1902.
The main aim was to eliminate white slave trading and smuggling.

Convention for the Suppression of the Traffic in Persons and of the

Exploitation of the Prostitution of Others :

Pakistan ratified this convention on 11 July 1952.

The traffic in persons for the purpose of prostitution is incompatible with the dignity and worth
of the human person. The Convention prescribes procedures for combating international
trafficking for prostitution, including expulsion of offenders. It also prohibits the running of
brothels and renting accommodation for prostitution purposes. The definition of trafficking of
this convention was departed from in the Trafficking protocol to the United Nations Convention
against Transnational Organized Crime.

Conclusion :