Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy Sindh 2015
Early Childhood Care and Education (ECCE) Policy for Sindh aims to provide a framework for the development and implementation of quality early childhood care and education programs in the province. Some of the key points of the Policy are:
- Children to receive ECCE: Children from 0-8 years of age will qualify to receive ECCE in Sindh and will be supported to acquire an education in stress free environments that will enable them to reach their full potential
- Parents & Community: ECCE programs will actively encourage and support child, family and community engagement
- Health: Government of Sindh will support access to affordable healthcare for children and families with linkages to local basic and tertiary referral facilities
- Safety: Corporal punishment of children admitted in all ECCE classes/schools is strictly prohibited
- Physical Education: ECCE teachers should provide a wide range of concrete, developmentally appropriate, indoor and outdoor experiences to assist in the development of each child
- Language: The early childhood program design must ensure recognition and respect for language, culture, self-expression, contextual creativity and diversity
- Inclusion: Public ECCE must be free and equitably accessible to all children in Sindh from 3-8 years of age
- Curriculum: Government of Sindh will develop and implement an ECCE Curriculum for all ECCE classes/schools of Sindh
Sindh Population Policy 2016
The Sindh Population Policy 2016 is a comprehensive strategy document that outlines the government’s approach to managing population growth in the province of Sindh. Some of the key points of the Sindh Population Policy 2016 are:
- Enhancing Access to Family Planning Services: The policy envisions increased access to family planning and reproductive health services in remote areas of the province.
- Population Coordination Council: The Provincial Population Coordination Council led by the Chief Executive that already exists will play an active role for enhanced health involvement in the delivery of family planning services.
- Coasted implementation plan (CIP): CIP made by the Population Department of Sindh will be implemented which is a multi-sectoral strategic plan to minimize population.
- Broad range of contraceptive methods: Due to increase in the target population in the coming years, budgetary provision will be ensured and enhanced to meet the need with readily available broad range of contraceptive methods
Sindh Labour Policy 2018
The Government of Sindh launched the Sindh Labour Policy 2018 which sets out the policy framework on industrial relations, social and economic wellbeing of the people of the province of Sindh. Some of the key points of the Sindh Labour Policy 2018 are:
- Inclusion of Mine Workers: Mine workers, whether contract or permanent, will be brought under the ambit of labour legislation and provided with same protection as other workers.
- Equal opportunities and Wages: Legislation will be strengthened to ensure equal opportunities, equal wages and other benefits for work of equal value
- No Child Labour: Employment of children under the age of 14 has been prohibited in all industrial sectors
- Women and Children prohibited from hazardous work: Women especially pregnant and all children under 18 will not be engaged in hazardous working conditions/working environments
- Abolishment of Bonded Labour: Bonded labour will be abolished in all its forms and appropriate amendments will be made in laws to make it more stringent.
- Quota for Special People: A quota for employment of disabled persons in all establishments in private as well as public sector will be established.
- Enable Trade Unions: All restrictive provisions on trade union formation will be removed
- Establishment of LMIS: A Labour Market Information System will be established within Directorate of Labour, Sindh.
Sindh Youth Policy 2018
The Sindh Youth Policy 2018 is a comprehensive framework developed by the Government of Sindh, Pakistan, to address the needs and aspirations of the province’s youth population. Some of the highlights of the Sindh Youth Policy 2018 are:
- Establishment of a Youth Development Commission
- Establishment of District Structure for Youth Affairs Department all over Sindh
- Centralized Information-System on Youth Development and a Job Data base
- Formation of a Job Bank
- 10 percent quota ensured for female youth in the job market
- Two percent quota for minority, differently-abled and other vulnerable youth groups
- Sindh Internship programme
- Hassle-free loans to youth
- Certified Skills development programmes for illiterate youth
Sindh Agriculture Policy 2018-2030
Sindh Agriculture Policy is a roadmap for sustainable agriculture management in the Sindh Province which aligns with the United Nations’ Sustainable Development Goals. Some of the highlights of the Sindh Agriculture Policy (2018-2030) are:
- Strengthen agriculture markets
- Redefine and strengthen the role of the Government
- Strengthen grant and micro credit programs for farmers
- Promotion of arid agriculture and range land management
- Enhanced use of Agriculture & Livestock yields preservation techniques
- Create targeted subsidy and assistance programs for farmers
- Regulate and control groundwater resources
- Agriculture Policy Implementation Commission will be constituted to oversee and guide the implementation of the Agriculture Policy
Gender Equality & Women’s Empowerment Policy Sindh 2019
The Government of Sindh approved this policy in 2019 to promote gender equality and empower women in the province. The overall goal is to mainstream gender perspectives in all government policies, plans and programs, and create an enabling environment for women to realize their full potential.
Some of the key strategies of the policy are:
- Implementation of Laws: Ensure effective implementation of all laws and rules applicable in Sindh pertaining gender-based violence and violence against women and girls
- Reduce Poverty: Halve the number of poor and eliminate extreme poverty
- Empower Women Economically: Support women’s economic empowerment through Ehsaas and its allied programs including the Sehat Insaaf Card
- Promotion of Female Education: Design and implement programs for 100% enrollment and maximum retention of girl students at all levels of school education
- Implement Sindh Health Sector Policy: Fully implement and monitor the Sindh Health Sector Policy, 2012-2020
- Provide Social Protection: Extend social protection for the rehabilitation of displaced and trafficked women and girls and establish provincial Social Protection Authority
- Ensure Fair Political Representation of Women: Ensure fair presentation of women in politics
- Administer inclusive Policy: Implement fully, the Sindh Empowerment of Persons with Disabilities Act, 2018 and establishment of necessary systems for greater disability inclusion
- Implement Senior Citizens law: Ensure that concessions and essential services are provided to elderly women, in accordance with the Sindh Senior Citizen Welfare Act, 2016
School Education Sector Plan & Roadmap for Sindh 2019-2024
School Education Sector Plan & Roadmap for Sindh outlines the priorities of the Government of Sindh for the education sector in the province in the medium term. It aims to achieve universal primary and secondary enrolment while ensuring that all children complete basic education. Eight quality programmes to be implemented to achieve the objectives of this policy under this roadmap are:
- Programme 1: Out of school children and illiterate youth
- Programme 2: Equitable & Adequate provision of school infrastructure
- Programme 3: Equitable enrolment and retention
- Programme 4: Merit based teacher recruitment, qualifications and professional development
- Programme 5: Quality inputs and processes
- Programme 6: Professional educational leadership and management
- Programme 7: Improved resource allocation and utilisation
- Programme 8: Effective strategic planning and M&E of SELD interventions
Sexual Violence Response Framework 2020-2024
The Sexual Violence Response Framework 2020- 2024 (SVRF) has been developed by the Government of Sindh (GoS). The objective of SVRF is to improve responses of the Criminal Justice System (CJS) to sexual violence (SV) in Sindh and gradually eliminate its occurrence.
The SVRF fills the gap between the enactment of law and its implementation and introduces research-based sustainable interventions in order to reform the CJS’s response to SV. The SVRF achieves its object through a two-fold approach. First, it provides a detailed breakdown of actions and interventions necessary for the successful implementation of legislation and case-law. Secondly, it expands the scope of the work of government functionaries beyond the law to initiate primary, secondary and tertiary preventative and responsive measures to work towards the gradual elimination of SV.
Institutional Development Plan for Human Rights Department Government of Sindh 2022-2027
The Human Rights Department of Government of Sindh aims to develop an effective institutional framework with adequate resources and capacity to promote and protect human rights in the province through its Institutional Development Plan for 2022-2027.
The plan was developed based on a comprehensive gap analysis to find operational gaps between Pakistan’s international human rights commitments and the existing human rights policy and institutional regime in the province. Some of the important key areas identified in the plan to be improved are:
- Institutional Strengthening: Filling of vacant posts and recruitment of fresh personnel
- Capacity Enhancement: Providing training related to Human Rights and its implementation
- Institutional Capacity Building: Hiring of human rights experts
- Strengthening TIC: Strengthening of Sindh Treat Implementation Cell for effective reporting mechanism
- Streamling of IT Cell: Establishment and Strengthening of IT Cell within Human Rights department
- Strengthening Investigation and Complaint Redressal Mechanism: Development of Guidelines for conduct of investigation and inquiries in HR cases
- Communication and awareness: Development of a Comprehensive Communication Strategy
- Standardization of reporting obligations: Development of a manual for streamlining and standardizing reporting for Treaty Obligations and others
Sindh Climate Change Policy 2022
Sindh’s Policy on Climate Change serves as a reference framework for the various interventions in the areas of climate change in Sindh. Some of the key strategies of the Sindh Climate Change Policy are:
- Legislative Setup: Adapt Pakistan Climate Change Act 2017 and National Climate Change Policy 2021 with items relevant to the Province of Sindh.
- Renewable Resources: Reduce burden on the natural resources by increasing a shift to the renewable resources
- Health: Conduct Needs Assessment of the health sector, identifying infrastructure, human resource and financial resources required by sub-urban and rural health facilities to equip them to handle climate induced diseases and disasters
- Agriculture: Develop climate resilient agriculture systems to prevent crop failure due to climatic extremes such as floods and droughts. Enable financial mechanisms for farmers to invest and adopt the technologies to overcome the climate related stress
- Fisheries: Maintain a marine ecosystem to ensure a healthy fisheries’ sector. Restore fish resources and habitat
- Water Resources: Conserve rain water and flood water resources for productive purposes. Manage groundwater resources through regulatory frameworks and water licensing etc.
- Biodiversity: Increase institutional and organizational research regarding existing biodiversity and conservation practices in the province, focusing on the impacts of climate change on biodiversity
- Forestry: Increase climate resilient forests in the province
- Disaster Preparedness: Strengthen community-based disaster preparedness and mitigation programs to build a society that is more informed about and resilient to a changing climate
Sindh Human Rights Policy 2023-2027
The Government of Sindh approved the Sindh Human Rights Policy for five years in August 2023 to ensure protection and promotion of rights of various marginalised sections of the society including women, children, labourers, minorities, differently-abled and transgender persons.
The policy intent is to deploy all possible ways and means to make the required effort for ensuring the rights of the people of the province, through a transparent, effective and efficient system. The intent is for an annual review and reporting the progress on policy implementation by the Human Rights Department and a revisit by the Provincial Government / Cabinet after every 5 years, Provincial Government / Cabinet may revisit if it deems necessary within the 5 years’ period as well.
This policy provides the vision, which is ‘to create a society where the social status and contribution of all is recognized and their rights to access to the services and needs such as education, health, nutrition, rehabilitation and others are ensured. They are provided with equal opportunities for the employment and social safety net being provided. All the rights by the Government and as enshrined in the constitution of Pakistan, ratified in the international commitments including SDGs’.