Third round of consultation on draft-policy: Stakeholders coordination urged for child protection services

PESHAWAR: Caretaker Minister for Social Welfare, Special Education and WomenEmpowerment Department, Justice (Retired) Irshad Qaiser on Tuesday urged all stakeholders to have coordination and collaboration for child protection services.

She said this while speaking at the third round of consultation arranged by The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KP CP&WC), with the support from UNICEF, on the draft-KP Child Protection Policy.

The participants invited for the consultation process included, the Home Department, Finance Department, Planning and Development Department, Law, Human Rights & Parliamentary Affairs Department, Police Department, Social Welfare Department, Labor Department, Probation Department, Law and Judiciary, Commesionarate for Afghan Refugees, and representatives from civil society organizations that work with children.

The minister emphasized the importance of a ‘whole government approach’ to protect children from violence, exploitation, neglect, abuse, and harmful practices.

Highlighting the significance of protecting children from abuse and urged participants to ensure the effectiveness, feasibility, and cultural appropriateness of the draft-policy within the context of KP, she assured her role in getting the policy approved by the cabinet.

Muhammad Farooq, Additional Secretary of the Social Welfare Department, acknowledged the consultations with the Technical Working Group, relevant stakeholders, and a diverse representation of children, commending the Child Protection and Welfare Commission for its approach.

Sohail Ahmad from UNICEF said the draft-Child Protection Policy had undergone initial revisions in the last two rounds and had been presented to the Technical Working Group led by the Social Welfare Department, including representatives from relevant government departments, civil society organizations and academia.

The feedback received from stakeholders, and children has been incorporated, he said and encouraged all participants to critically review and provide feedback enabling the KP CP&WC to improve the existing draft.

The official requested to the caretaker minister for getting vetted the Child Protection Policy from the Child Protection and Welfare Commission and presenting this to the cabinet for approval.

Ijaz Muhammad Khan said the KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission was committed to ensuring that the policy was thoroughly reviewed and improved with input from all stakeholders, and that consensus is reached before submitting the final policy for the approval of the government.

The workshop saw presentations, discussions, and brainstorming sessions that identified gaps and areas for improvement in the draft policy.