NAP Priority Areas
Scroll to NAP Priority Categories:
1.
Conduct a mapping exercise to chart national progress made against, and steps required to advance, the four elements of the Fundamental Principles and Rights at Work, that is: (1) the eradication of modern slavery; (2) abolishment of child labour; (3) elimination of discrimination in business activity and the workplace, including the gender pay gap, and; (4) protection of the right to freedom of association.
2.
Review framework, engage with, and build the capacity of, National Human Rights Institutions to promote and sustain effective support to the implementation and oversight of the protection, respect, and remediation of human rights in the context of business activity.
3.
Conduct a mapping exercise, including a consultative process, to assess the national legislative, policy, and regulatory framework relevant to human rights in the digital economy, including freelance work and the gig economy, and gather recommendations on steps needed to ensure the application of the Protect, Respect, and Remedy framework to the digital economy.
4.
Review and update existing legislation to strengthen the protection of human rights within the context of business activity, incorporating gender equality as a foundational and cross-cutting theme, in line with Pakistan’s Constitutional and international obligations, and in support of the framework of the UNGPs.
5.
Issue and disseminate BHR guidelines for business enterprises in line with the NAP—its priority areas, proposed actions and State expectations of business enterprises—and with regards to non- financial reporting on corporate human rights policies, human rights due diligence, and remedial mechanisms.
7.
Clear the backlog of cases in Courts, and explore the feasibility of strengthening and promoting alternate dispute resolution mechanisms for the fair, effective, and timely redressal of human rights violations resulting from business activity.
9.
Pass the Whistle-blower Protection and Vigilance Commission Bill 2019 to ensure protection of whistle-blowers disclosing information related to financial discrepancies and corruption.
10.
Review and update the Public Procurement Regulatory Authority Rules to incorporate human rights due diligence as a key criterion in the bidding and evaluation process, and give preference to businesses that demonstrate actions taken to meet their human rights obligations.
11.
Develop a model Code of Conduct, making explicit the relationship between business and human rights, for businesses that are State owned, controlled or which work with the State.
12.
Further strengthen judicial processes and create awareness on issues related to Anti-Money Laundering/Counter Terror Financing (AML/CTF) to encourage financial transparency.
13.
Ratify ILO Convention No. 190 (Violence and Harassment).
14.
Enact proposed amendments to the Protection Against Harassment of Women at the Workplace Act, including but not limited to clarifying, and expanding where required, definitional ambiguities in light of the objective and purpose of the Act, and to promote effective and comprehensive safeguarding against all forms of harassment in all workplaces.
15.
Conduct a national study to determine the sectors in which significant gender disparity is prevalent, and utilise the findings of the study to assess and develop a policy regarding the mandatory reservation of quotas for women in different sectors.
16.
Review, and amend where required, existing laws pertaining to all forms of violence against women and girls, and ensure effective functioning of Gender-Based Violence Courts.
18.
Develop Labour Policies, or ensure implementation of existing Policies, which introduce a requirement for businesses to create an Internal Equal Opportunity Committee that receives complaints and conducts inquiries regarding wage gaps and discriminatory hiring practices.
19.
Strengthen existing, and develop where required, civil remedies for discriminatory action based on gender, ethnicity, religion, disability, age, or any other factor.
23.
Develop Provincial policies and mechanisms, or ensure implementation of existing ones, related to the non-discrimination and inclusion of women and vulnerable or marginalised groups in business activity, and the provision of safe, healthy, and dignified working spaces for women and vulnerable or marginalised groups in the workplace.
24.
Identify areas through a consultative process where additional funds need to be allocated to address gender inequality in business activity and the workplace.
25.
Increase awareness about harassment at the workplace and gender-based discrimination, and existing reporting and remedial mechanisms, such as the Provincial Ombudsperson.
31.
Develop policy, including a proposed regulatory model, on the requirement of human rights due diligence for the approval of large-scale projects where the business activity poses a significant risk to the rights of a community at large, and incorporate into relevant existing Rules and Guidelines.
32.
Conduct feasibility study of human rights certification and provision of market incentives for businesses which demonstrate respect for human rights across their operations, including conducting human rights due diligence and publicising their efforts.
33.
Conduct feasibility study on the future enactment of mandatory human rights due diligence legislation in Pakistan, studying the legislative, regulatory, and economic framework in this regard.
35.
Develop and launch a Human Rights Due Diligence Partnership Project with the private sector, for the purpose of establishing a framework and standards for human rights due diligence reporting.
36.
Establish voluntary and common standards for conducting and reporting human rights due diligence in business activity, applicable to both the direct operations and across the value chains of public and private enterprises.
37.
Adopt a National Policy on Home Based Workers (HBW).
38.
Ratify ILO Convention No. 177 (Home Workers).
39.
Ratify ILO Convention No. 189 (Domestic Workers).
40.
Incorporate the terms of all ratified ILO conventions into the legal framework governing the rights of all workers in Pakistan, including those in the informal economy.
41.
Strengthen labour inspection mechanisms, including by ensuring the sufficient funding and capacity of the mechanisms, and conduct regular inspections of business enterprises, including in the informal economy, to safeguard adherence to minimum wage and other labour rights. Ensure inclusion of women as labour inspectors as well.
42.
Conduct a review process of labour laws, standards, and policies to gauge the differentiated impacts or deficits of these laws, standards and policies on women and vulnerable or marginalised workers, including in the informal economy, and identify and enact as required new or amended laws, standards, or policies.
43.
Register all labour, including in the informal economy, and establish, or strengthen existing, Labour Management Information Systems.
44.
Formalise all enterprises, including in the informal economy, and digitise business data.
45.
Formalise and strengthen wage payment mechanisms across all sectors, including the informal economy.
46.
Provide life insurance and ensure compulsory EOBI Registration.
47.
Ensure provision of appointment letter or employment contracts as a requirement in the informal economy.
48.
Pass Provincial legislation, or strengthen compliance with existing legislation, on Domestic Workers.
50.
Conduct an Impact Assessment of COVID-19 on the tourism industry (including a gender impact assessment), with a focus on adverse human rights impacts.
51.
Conduct a national study to determine progress made against the elimination of child labour in all its forms by 2025 in line with SDG 8.7, and provide recommendations and actions for rectification of gaps.
52.
Amend the Children (Pledging of Labour) Act 1933 to raise the penalties payable, by both parents/guardians and employers, for the pledging and employment of children.
53.
Pass legislation, and amend existing legislation where applicable, and ensure implementation, on Employment of Children to (1) raise the age of a child, as defined by the legislation, to the compulsory school-going age of 16, per Article 25-A of the Constitution; (2) prohibit hazardous work under the age of 18; (3) raise the penalties payable for violations; and (4) include domestic work amongst schedule of hazardous occupations.
54.
Conduct nationwide awareness and advocacy campaigns on children’s fundamental right to education and the elimination of child labour.
55.
Ratify Protocol to ILO Convention No. 29 (Forced Labour).
56.
Amend the Bonded Labour (Abolition) Act 1992 to provide more stringent punishments against those violating the law and to incorporate provisions on Government aid and rehabilitation programs for victims of forced or bonded labour.
57.
Amend Section 374 of the Pakistan Penal Code (in relation to unlawful compulsory labour) to increase the sentence from the current one-year sentence up to a maximum of life imprisonment for the most severe violations.
58.
Ensure the establishment, proper functioning, and introduce capacity-building programmes for District Vigilance Committees, established under the Bonded Labour System (Abolition) Act 1992.
60.
Update the Pakistan Penal Code to provide a comprehensive list of occupational hazards and the ambit of protection therein.
61.
Ratify ILO Convention No. 155 (Occupational Safety and Health) and ILO Convention No. 187 (Promotional Framework for Occupational Safety and Health).
62.
Bring up-to-date health and safety legislation, standards, rules and guidelines, and independent enforcement mechanism for all sectors, with immediate priority allotted to the most hazardous sectors based on available data or reported concerns, and account for the differentiated needs of workers, including women, elderly workers, and others.
63.
Conduct a national mapping exercise to identify existing reporting procedures for human rights violations occurring from business activity, and make recommendations for improved effectiveness.
64.
Conduct a national study on barriers to entry and advancement of women in the justice sector.
65.
Establish Labour Courts in all districts, and review the existing framework of Labour Courts, including assessment of gender-responsiveness, and utilise the findings to increase and strengthen functioning of Courts to provide for the efficient handling of industrial disputes and the effective protection of labour rights.
66.
Establish Child Protection Courts in all districts, and review the framework of existing Child Protection Courts to include the authority to direct the training and rehabilitation of victims of child labour.
67.
Establish and strengthen existing guidelines and compile best practices for the Judiciary to ensure effective remediation of human rights abuses occurring through business activity.