Lahore, December 24, 2024: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has directed the Punjab government to remove male employees from Dar-ul-Aman (Women Shelter Homes) and implement measures to improve the safety and functionality of these facilities.
The court’s ruling, delivered by Justice Tariq Saleem Sheikh, comes in response to a petition by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan and other organizations, which cited insufficient protective measures for women and children in these shelters and gaps in enforcing the Child Protection Act and women’s rights.
Key directives from the judgment include removal of male employees from all shelter homes, creation of a monitoring database and installation of CCTV cameras for security, Establishment of regulations under the Punjab Protection of Women Against Violence Act, 2016, to govern all shelter homes, protective centers, and child protection institutions within six months, formation of women protection committees in every district and comprehensive staff training for district women protection officers. The Lahore High Court has also directed for periodic assessments of Dar-ul-Aman facilities by District and Sessions Judges every two months, provision of vocational training for women to support their economic rehabilitation and development of regulations and registration for child protection institutions, with the establishment of child protection units at tehsil and district levels.
The court further emphasized the importance of transparency by requiring the government to make information about shelter homes accessible on a dedicated website.
Justice Sheikh’s 36-page judgment also pointed out ambiguities in the legal framework governing these facilities. While Dar-ul-Aman and Dar-ul-Falah are managed under the Punjab Rules of Business 2011, the court questioned the federal Women Development Department’s role in crisis centers, which lack a clear legal foundation.
The ruling noted that despite the Women Protection Act, 2016, mandating shelter homes in all districts, currently only Multan has operational facilities, underscoring the need for urgent action.
