Ombudsman sets up One Stop Facilitation Center for victims of pedophilia

ISLAMABAD: Federal Ombudsman (FO) of Pakistan has set up ''One stop facilitation centre'' in District Headquarter (DHQ), Kasur to reintegrate the victims of child abuse in the society after providing them medico-psychological assistance via one window operation.

In this regard, an accord was signed between Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore (FJMU), the Federal Ombudsman, District Jail Kasur and DHQ, Kasur, during the first meeting of the Task Force on ''One-Stop Facilitation Centre for Children''s Rehabilitation'' recently held at the Office of Vice Chancellor FJMU, Lahore.

About one month back, four task forces were formed, aimed at providing psycho-social aid to victims of child abuse, bringing legal reforms, training police and sensitizing the society regarding the menace, in pursuant to the recommendations made in a report compiled by a panel constituted by the Ombudsman in the aftermath of Zainab  case that took place in Kasur last year.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a Hospital Child Protection Committee would be set up, spearheaded by medical superintendent (MS) DHQ, Kasur, which would nominate more focal persons from FJMU belonging to the other medical disciplines to provide required treatment to the patient ranging from gynecological to physiological.

Moreover, the MS DHQ, Kasur would  remain in touch with other appointed focal persons at FJMU to ensure provision of all-out facilities to the sufferers.

Talking to APP, Commissioner for Children and Focal Person on Child Abuse of Federal Ombudsman Syeda Viqar-un-Nisa said as there was no sanctioned post of a psychiatrist in Kasur, therefore, a consultant psychiatrist from FJMU was being deputed there.

The psychiatrist would conduct training of other medico-psychiatrist staffers of the hospital occasionally as the victim needed constant monitoring, she added.

“Psycho-social and rehabilitation aid are imperative to retrieve a child abuse victim from such mental agony as most of affected children re-emerged as child abuser,” she reckoned.

The commissioner said they would hold a meeting with health authorities of the Punjab to create a permanent vacancy of psychiatrist in Kasur district.

She also clarified that the facilitation center was established for the victims only while the appointed psychiatrist would also visit District Jail Kasur to train the jail staffers, so that the accused of child abuse could also be provided with necessary treatment.