SHARP-Pakistan, in collaboration with the Sindh Judicial Academy (SJA), launched the first day of its training for judicial officers on International Protection and Legal Frameworks at Karachi. The opening session began with the Registration and Inauguration Ceremony, followed by a welcome note on behalf of the Worthy Director General, Sindh Judicial Academy as well as Project Director, SHARP-Pakistan, setting a clear tone of institutional commitment to strengthening the justice sector’s response to protection challenges.
Ms. Memoona Batool, Project Director, SHARP, presented an overview of SHARP and its interventions in Pakistan, outlining the project’s role in building national capacity and advancing protection-sensitive systems, followed Ms. Jamal Khatoon, Senior Program Assistant, who spoke on the mandate and activities of IOM in Pakistan, highlighting the organization’s work in migration governance and the protection of vulnerable populations.
Mr. Jameel Hussain Junejo, Executive Coordinator, Treaty Implementation Cell, Government of Sindh, delivered a detailed orientation on the international legal framework, covering CAT, CEDAW, ICCPR, and CRC. He underscored that the protection of human and fundamental rights is not optional but a binding obligation, rooted in the 1948 Universal Declaration of Human Rights and firmly guaranteed under the 1973 Constitution of Pakistan.
Mr. Naveed Ahmed Soomro, District and Sessions Judge/Senior Faculty Member, SJA, & Mr. Noor Muhammad Kalmati, Additional District and Sessions Judge/Faculty Member, SJA led the discussions on Domestic Legal Framework & Migration Landscape, Foreigners Act 1946: Implications and Jurisdiction, focusing on protecting vulnerable women and children, stressing on urgent issues of female asylum seekers and survivors of gender-based violence, mixed marriages, family separation including separated and unaccompanied children, and the prevention of smuggling and trafficking.
The training reaffirms a powerful message: a rights-respecting justice system is the foundation of a just society. By equipping judicial officers with a strong grasp of international protection principles and domestic legal obligations, SHARP-Pakistan and the Sindh Judicial Academy are taking a decisive step toward ensuring access to justice, dignity, and protection for all.
