Civil Society Calls for Campus-Based Human Rights Ambassador Programme

Press Release

Lahore, 2 May 2026 — Search for Justice convened a one-day workshop bringing together representatives of civil society organizations and young human rights professionals to strengthen engagement with Pakistan’s National Human Rights Institutions (NHRIs).

The workshop aimed to build practical understanding of how NHRIs function, including their mandates, limitations, and relevance for advancing protection, accountability, and policy engagement. It highlighted the gap between existing institutional frameworks and their effective use in practice, particularly by young people and civil society actors.

Participants emphasized that effective engagement with National Human Rights Institutions is critical for translating rights into action. As independent oversight bodies, NHRIs provide accessible avenues for raising complaints, addressing systemic issues, and prompting institutional response. Strengthening engagement with these mechanisms can enhance accountability, improve access to justice, and ensure that human rights protections are not only guaranteed in law but are realized in practice.

A key outcome of the workshop was a collective call for the Government of Pakistan to initiate a Campus-Based Human Rights Ambassador Programme across universities and colleges nationwide. Participants stressed that such an initiative is necessary to institutionalize human rights education and bridge the gap between legal frameworks and public awareness.

The proposed programme is intended to equip young people with a clear understanding of their rights and responsibilities, strengthen awareness of institutional mechanisms, including NHRIs, and build practical skills to raise concerns, identify, document, and report human rights violations, and engage constructively with public institutions. Participants emphasized that this is essential to ensure that young people understand their rights in line with the Constitution of Pakistan and the country’s international human rights obligations.

Participants noted that while human rights institutions and legal protections exist, their impact remains limited due to low awareness and weak engagement with institutional mechanisms. Without structured efforts to strengthen this engagement, access to justice and accountability mechanisms will remain out of reach for many.

The workshop further underscored the need for sustained collaboration between civil society, public institutions, and academic institutions to ensure that human rights education translates into informed action and effective institutional engagement.

Search for Justice reiterated its commitment to advancing human rights, strengthening child protection systems, and promoting meaningful participation of young people through policy engagement and institutional collaboration.