Ombudsman creates forum to provide voice to voiceless children

Islamabad

The Federal Ombudsman has appointed Commissioners for children in the four provinces and at the federal capital and Azad Jammu and Kashmir. The appointments have been made to address the deplorable child right situation in the country, with the objective to bring qualitative improvement in the lives of the ignored segment of the society, says a press release.

Besides prompt and effective handling of complaints relating to violation of child rights, the Commissioners would examine the core issues affecting children and suggest measures for providing enabling environment to allow them to grow free of oppression and fear. The Commissioners have volunteered to work in honorary capacity in view of the importance of the issue.

The Commissioners will be empowered to take suo moto notice on the state of children in respect of any defaulting agencies, besides entertaining complaints filed by the children or their representatives against any agency.

Children who constitute nearly 50% of the population have no voice in matters affecting their lives. This forum will provide them an opportunity to express themselves freely before the commissioners in matters causing harm and anxiety to them.

With the appointment of Commissioners, members of the civil society have been associated with the cause, therefore, the child right situation in the country was expected to improve specially for children coming from low income background who are subjected to inhuman exploitations of varied nature.

The eminent personalities who have been appointed to the positions are: S.M. Zafar, former Federal Law Minister and President Supreme Court Bar Association, Shaheen Attique ur Rehman, Vice Chairperson, Bunyad Foundation and former Provincial Minister, Zia Ahmed Awan, Founder Madadgaar National Helpline, Shahnaz Wazir Ali, President, SZABIST, Karachi, Dr. Huma Baqai  Chairperson, Department of Social Sciences, IBA Karachi, Raheela Hameed Durrani, Speaker Balochistan Assembly, Shama Parveen Magsi Former Provincial Minister Balochistan, Mr. Justice Manzoor Hussain Gillani, retired Chief Justice of the Supreme Court of AJK, Dr. Begum Jan, Chairman, Tribal Women Welfare Association (TWWA) and Member Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, Hifz-ur-Rehman, Managing Director Frontier Education Foundation, Dr. Farzana Bari, Chairperson Center of Excellence, Quaid-e-Azam University and Human Rights Activist, Ms. Samar Minallah Khan, Anthropologist & Human Rights Activist, Syeda Viquar-un-Nisa Hashmi, President, Viquar Society for Socio Economic & Legal Aid.