Some good has come out of the worst we have faced

Islamabad: Finally the government has stirred out of its deep slumber and have decided to introduce some measures in the police set up, aimed at preventing child sexual abuse and gender based violence.

Evidently, our conscience also is inspired by the physical beauty and apparent innocence. The latest examples being the innocent face of Zainab and the handsome personality of Naqeebullah Mehsud! Otherwise, there had been at least a dozen cases of girl child sexual molestation and eventual murder and innumerable cases of fake encounters.

But, whatever it may have been, at least the whole nation=s conscience is stirred and everybody is hollering >bloody murder= after these two incidents coming one after another. And now the government has decided to introduce certain measures in policing against child molestation and gender based violence. Unfortunately, the gender based violence is so strongly protected in our society in the name of culture and traditions.

A girl or a woman is killed in the name of culture and traditions prevailing in the society. Similarly, girls and women are subjected to worst forms of physical abuse and violence in their homes by their own relatives, again in the name of traditions. Whatever the case may be, this is a right step in the right direction to introduce a few measures, which are believed to help curb these two worst social evils in our society.

Interestingly, there are quite a few non-governmental organisations (NGOs), which are working specifically on these particular evils prevailing in our society for the past many years, probably some engaged in highlighting these issues in the society for the last well over a decade now.

However, because of lack of backing and support from the state institutions, these NGOs had not been able to achieve their goals to bring about the desired changes in social and cultural behaviours in the society at any noticeable levels as yet.

Now that the state has decided to take up almost similar agenda that these NGOs had been pursuing for the last over a decade or may be two, we may expect to see a tangible change at last.

The government has decided to establish >Child Protection Centres= and >Reporting Rooms in Women Police Stations=. While the >Child Protection Centres= are being expected to work on the protection of the street children, the child labour (we hope the child beggars are included in the list) and prevent child abuse, the >Reporting Rooms in Women Police Stations= would focus on taking >appropriate= action in any case of gender-based, sexual abuse and domestic violence cases.

Again, the catch is the >cases reported=. We are aware and it is an open secret that in our society majority of the sexual abuse, gender based violence and domestic violence cases go unreported only because of social and cultural influences prevalent in the society.

However, with awareness growing because of aggressive intervention by the media, it is expected that the police would find it easier to operate more vigorously now.

The government has decided to establish =Gender and Child Protection Desks in 22 police stations initially with committees comprising activists from the human rights, gender sensitive bodies, child protection bodies and the minority representatives as the members acting as supervisors. It would be important to see as to how these >Supervisory Committees= will work, which will make all the difference.

Another step to establish a >Gender and Child Protection with location detection system= Helpline >8090= can also play a tremendous role on which the victim or anybody witnessing or noticing any such cases can sent an SMS or even call. And the response would be spontaneous, the government promises. Again this has to be seen how quick the response in such cases would be.

The government has also decided to take some well educated and sensitive male and female officers to be part of this Helpline, something which will definitely bring about a positive change.

The government has decided to back these police stations and centres with appropriate medical assistance, laboratory and forensic assistance, legal assistance, psychological counselling and mediation through the committees which will have representatives from the Child Protection Bureau, the NGOs and the INGOs, the Human Rights Commission, the representatives from minority communities and the experts working in the gender-based violence and sexual abuse in the field. All this sounds encouraging indeed but we still have to see how the whole plan is spread out and how it operates in actual.