CFHR drives justice, equality, and systemic change through research, legal innovation, advocacy, and education.
Our work is rooted in five key focus areas:
We work to combat trafficking in persons, smuggling of migrants, and the illegal proliferation of firearms. At the same time, we promote fair trial rights and due process in Pakistan’s Anti-Terrorism Courts. Our efforts to advance human rights and social inclusion focus on issues such as gender-based violence, women’s marriage rights, transgender rights, refugee protection, and digital freedoms. Through legal aid, national campaigns, marriage rights clinics, a documentary, and a digital knowledge platform, we strive to protect and promote rights for all.
Our climate justice work examines how environmental challenges such as displacement and the impact of the 2022 floods affect vulnerable communities and the justice system. We advocate for rights-based, resilient solutions. Meanwhile, through our Institute for Responsible AI & Human Rights, we explore the intersection of technology and human rights, promoting ethical innovation that puts people first.
At CFHR, we believe knowledge fuels change. We have published eight volumes of the Human Rights Review, developed policy papers and research reports, launched award-winning campaigns, and supported legal fellows. Our clinical legal education programme, moot courts, and specialised trainings prepare the next generation of human rights defenders with the tools and experience they need to lead.
Across all areas, we collaborate with national and international partners to influence policy, strengthen legal protections, and empower communities. Our work is grounded in evidence, shaped by inclusion, and driven by a commitment to lasting impact.
This research assesses women's marriage rights in Punjab, focusing on the nikkahnama. The study analyzed 1,150 nikkahnamas, along with surveys and interviews to understand gaps impacting women's rights.
This Fact Sheet provides key insights from the Diagnostic Study of Nikkahnamas in Punjab: A Review of Women's Marriage Rights.
CFHR, in collaboration with Musawi and ABA ROLI, hosted a national consultation in August 2023, uniting over 200 diverse stakeholders to address critical issues like minority women’s rights and family law barriers.
This report examines AI risks in Pakistan, spotlighting algorithmic bias in automated systems that threaten constitutional equality. Analyzing how societal prejudices infiltrate AI, it proposes policy reforms to bridge legal gaps and ensure ethical governance.
This volume examines barriers to women's marriage rights in Pakistan, highlighting legal gaps, underage marriage, marital rape, and access to divorce.
Students conducted 2023–24 research on climate displacement, urban wildlife loss, and voting barriers for marginalized communities across Punjab and beyond.
TANA assesses justice access barriers for transgender people in Sindh, offering data-driven insights and reforms to strengthen inclusion and accountability.
CFHR's Qabool Hai campaign aims to dispel myths about women's marriage rights through engaging social media content, empowering women and girls.
Partnering with Generations Pakistan, CFHR launched the Ijaazat Campaign to empower women by raising awareness of Nikahnama marriage rights.
CFHR’s Nikahnama Cheat Sheet is a concise visual tool from the Ijaazat Campaign, simplifying key marriage contract clauses for women’s awareness.
CFHR’s Ijaazat Campaign offered a detailed checklist to empower women and families in navigating the Nikahnama process with confidence and clarity.
This pocket dictionary, created under the Ijaazat Campaign, simplifies legal terms to empower women in Pakistan with knowledge of their marriage rights.
CFHR’s interactive game raises awareness of women’s marriage rights through engaging, team-based challenges in workshops and classrooms.
CFHR champions women’s marriage rights through research, legal aid, national advocacy, arts-based campaigns, and expert-led symposiums that drive reform.
This volume explores key human rights challenges, from COVID-era rights violations to cyberwarfare laws, featuring diverse legal insights and global perspectives.
This report, prepared for the Philippine Commission on Human Rights by the Centre for Human Rights, aids in developing a climate change curriculum and framework. It analyzes successful climate change litigation globally, focusing on landmark cases and the evolving role of climate science as legal evidence.
CFHR's Marriage Rights Clinic trains law students to uphold women's marriage rights in Pakistan, using Nikkahnama expertise & combating disinformation.
This volume explores counter-terror laws, their human rights impact, and judicial oversight, highlighting tensions between security, nationalism, and civil liberties.
CFHR’s research examines the critical need for internet access as a fundamental right in education, emphasizing the role of legal and policy frameworks in addressing digital inequality.
In 2021, CFHR implemented a harassment policy at Universal College Lahore. Since 2019, CFHR has worked to create safe and inclusive educational institutions through policy reform, legal education, and community engagement.
This template for educational Institutions helps to promote survivor-sensitive policies to prevent harassment, bullying, and misconduct through legal alignment in universities in Pakistan.
Dive in to see how we’re building a safer, more just Pakistan for all.
In 2020, CFHR conducted impactful campaigns during the 16 Days of Activism Against GBV, focusing on bystander intervention, challenging gender stereotypes, and engaging men in gender equality. These initiatives aimed to foster safer communities and promote gender-sensitive discourse.
Violence against women significantly impacts victims, society, and the economy. This report examines the economic costs of this violence globally and in Pakistan, highlighting the need for improved data collection and effective prevention policies.
UCL and the U.S. Embassy Islamabad jointly hosted the 2020 Jessup Moot Court Competition in Lahore, with 22 teams competing in the final round held at the Supreme Court bench. The competition offered students valuable experience in public international law advocacy.
We work across Pakistan, driving legal reform, advocacy, and policy change to protect human rights and empower communities.