Rehabilitation

According to grim statistics obtained in a recently conducted research, almost 90 per cent of suicide bombers are 12-18 years old. They are indoctrinated by the Taliban to create havoc in the society. The accounts of such children who were either captured or brought by their families to rehabilitation centres are horrifying. They had been subjected to torture and drug abuse to force them to carry out the missions for which they received training.
These children need counselling. But that is not an easy task. A broader rehabilitation programme is needed to gradually prepare these children for life in the world outside. Such programmes should entail sports and recreational activities, along with skills to enable them to earn a livelihood as adults, so that they can become part of a productive workforce.
Sadia Hussain
Islamabad