EU, NCHR and UNDP launch report on human rights abuse in rehabilitation centres across Pakistan

ISLAMABAD, 18 May 2026: Through the Huqooq-e-Pakistan II project funded by the European Union (EU), the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) supported the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) in launching its investigative report, "Caged in Care: Investigating Human Rights Abuse in Rehabilitation Centres."

Drawing on testimonies from former and current patients, as well as an analysis of institutional and legal frameworks, the report identifies key gaps in oversight, regulation, and accountability within selected rehabilitation centres. The launch brought together government representatives, development partners, civil society stakeholders, and legal experts to encourage evidence-based dialogue on strengthening safeguards and improving accountability in institutional care systems.

"At the heart of this report are individuals who were placed in care, but instead found themselves without adequate protection, voice, or recourse," said NCHR Chairperson Rabiya Javeri Agha. "This is not about isolated cases, it is about a system that has allowed control to take the place of care, particularly in the lives of women. The incidents investigated for this report are indicative of systemic regulatory failure shaped by institutional neglect and entrenched social biases. At its core, this crisis reflects broader patterns of patriarchal control and the misuse of mental health frameworks to silence dissent, particularly among women."

The report findings point to recurring challenges in monitoring and enforcement, including gaps between licensing frameworks and implementation on the ground. It also highlights concerns regarding limited access to complaint mechanisms and legal safeguards for individuals admitted to such facilities.

"Human rights protection is a cornerstone of our relations with Pakistan," said Jeroen Willems, Head of Cooperation at the EU Delegation to Pakistan. "It is at the heart of our GSP+ regime, giving Pakistan duty free access to the largest single market in the world in exchange for compliance to 27 international conventions on human and labour rights and environmental standards. Supporting the human rights ecosystem is also at the core of our development work. It is in that regard encouraging that the National Commission for Human Rights is able to publish the Caged in Care report. At the same time it is imperative that corrective action is taken against the many deficiencies identified depriving the most vulnerable from dignity, autonomy and health."

The report also draws attention to the gendered dimensions of institutional care, including heightened risks faced by women, concerns regarding involuntary admission in certain cases, restricted contact with families, and treatment practices that may not always be aligned with medical justification. According to testimonies documented in the report, some women were reportedly admitted in the context of family disputes, resistance to forced marriage, or attempts to exercise personal autonomy rather than clear clinical grounds.

"Strengthening trust in institutional care requires not only clear standards, but also effective implementation, monitoring, and accessible mechanisms for redress", said Van Nguyen, Deputy Resident Representative, UNDP Pakistan. "Evidence like this report helps ensure that policy discussions remain grounded in lived realities and can translate into more accountable and responsive systems, especially for women and girls."

"Silencing women through fear, stigma, or forced confinement is a violation of fundamental human rights, and no woman's personal choices should ever become grounds for her imprisonment or punishment," said Senator Sherry Rehman. She said that NCHR's report has exposed a shocking abuse of institutional care to lock women up for illegal confinement. "These private centres all over our cities have been weaponized to lock up and coerce women who have exercised choices as adults and full citizens of the state that guarantees equal rights." She said that this criminal practice has no place under the constitution or rights framework of Pakistan. She commended NCHR for its efforts to bring this abuse to public light and to the attention of the state.

The report further underscores inconsistencies between the services advertised by some rehabilitation centres and the conditions documented during the investigation, recommending stronger regulatory oversight and accountability mechanisms.

To address the identified gaps, the report calls for stronger inspection and accountability mechanisms, gender-responsive care standards, improved complaint systems, and greater protections for women and children. Building on NCHR's earlier work, it also recommends consideration of an updated federal mental health law establishing national standards for patient rights and admission procedures.

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For further details, please contact:
• Fizza Bangash, Communications Analyst, UNDP Pakistan, at [email protected] or +92 (51) 835 5631
• Samar Saeed Akhtar, Communications, Press and Information Officer, [email protected], Delegation of the European Union to Pakistan
• Syed Ahsan Ayaz, Assistant Director, NCHR Pakistan at [email protected] or +92 333 1965422

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