On June 4th, Mr. Iqbal Ahmed Detho, Chairperson of the Sindh Human Rights Commission (SHRC), served as a key speaker at the Technical Working Group (TWG)-III meeting on the Operationalization, Performance, and Data of Special Sexual Offences Investigation Units (SSOIUs).
The session was chaired by Mr. Amir Farooqi, DIG Sindh Police, was organized by the Legal Aid Society (LAS), UNFPA Pakistan, and Pathfinder International under the umbrella of Multi-Sectoral Coordination Committee on GBV.
This high-level meeting posed a critical question:
How do we make justice faster, safer, and more survivor-focused for victims of sexual and gender-based violence in Sindh?
The group reviewed the performance of SSOIUs, diagnosed challenges in coordination and data, and proposed concrete steps to strengthen GBV response systems across the province.
Mr. Detho emphasized:
o The urgent need to increase the number of trained female Investigation Officers (IOs) and constables to ensure trauma-informed and gender-sensitive responses for female survivors.
o The importance of a holistic, system-wide training approach, noting that Sindh already has existing manuals and frameworks that can be strengthened and institutionalized.
o The necessity for an integrated and standardized data management system across departments to ensure accurate, reliable, and non-duplicated GBV data, crucial for effective planning and accountability.
Your voice matters:What do you think is the biggest gap in how GBV cases are handled in our justice system?
Comment below—let’s build a better system, together.
