HRCP session suggests ways to protect children from sexual abuse

HYDERABAD: HRCP Coordinator for Hyderabad Ghufrana Arian, while opening a session on Friday, said that 40 incidents of sexual assaults on children have been reported in Sindh in the last three months, and victims include 15 minor girls and 25 minor boys.

Talking to the participants of the meeting, she said that the purpose of today’s session is to mobilize the civil society, human rights defenders, volunteers of the relevant government departments, lawyers and journalists on the sexual attacks against children.

She added that work can be done to prevent cases of sexual abuse and murder of children occurring in different areas.

Ghufrana Arian said that by establishing all the mechanisms, including awareness, legal assistance, and protection in cases of sexual abuse against children, it will be possible to prevent such incidents.

Hussain Masrat of the Women’s Action Forum said that to prevent sexual abuse cases involving children, awareness should be given in schools, including rural and urban areas, so that these incidents can be reduced and the civil society should join hands and conduct sessions and do practical work on it. There should be pressure on the government, due to which the institutions should work.

Kashif Bajir, who works for the rights and protection of children, while giving suggestions, said that there are other institutions, including the National and Provincial Commissions, Social Security, Child Protection Authority, which are not working practically due to which the number of cases is increasing. In 2023, more than 4,000 cases were reported, and incidents are being reported every day this year as well.

He said that the police can play an important role in such cases, and if the officers at the district police support the help desk and the citizens, then the cases can be reduced to some extent. If the Child Protection Authority and Social Security were working, the budget of their institutions would not have lapsed every year, so the civil society had to mobilize and put pressure on the institutions so that they became active, he added.

Other participants avowed to work together. HRCP Council Member Saleem Jarwar appreciated and thanked the participants for their suggestions.