The May 2026 NCHR investigative report, “Caged in Care,” exposes systemic human rights abuses and medical malpractice within private, unregulated rehabilitation centers across Pakistan, which frequently operate as profit-driven custodial spaces rather than genuine therapeutic facilities. The investigation reveals that these centers are heavily weaponized as instruments of patriarchal control to strip adult women of their autonomy, forcibly confining and sedating them under false pretenses during family disputes over marriage, property, or perceived “disobedience”.
Minors are acutely victimized under this broken system; adolescents as young as 15 are routinely placed in adult wards to crush defiance or punish non-conforming behavior. These children face severe vulnerabilities—including forced chemical sedation, physical beatings, and being tied up by staff as a substitute for proper child protection and parental care. Pointing out complete regulatory failures by authorities like the IHRA, the NCHR demands immediate legislative reform, including a Federal Mental Health Act, to establish independent oversight and protect vulnerable women and children from institutional abuse.
For more details, check out the full report: Caged in Care – Investigating Human Rights Abuse in Rehabilitation Centers
