Four task forces formed to root out pedophilia in Kasur

ISLAMABAD: The federal ombudsman has constituted four task forces with a mandate to provide psycho-social aid, bring legal reforms, train police and sensitise the society to carry forward its efforts against child abuse in the country.

The task forces were formed on the recommendations of a report compiled after the rape-cum-murder of minor girl Zainab in Kasur last year. Talking to the APP here on Sunday, Commissioner for Children and Focal Person on Child Abuse of Federal Ombudsman, Syeda Wiqarunnisa said the decision was made in a meeting by the federal ombudsman held at Lahore with the MPAs to introduce reforms in the contemporary laws and seeking legislators’ active support for introducing the legal amendments. She said the task forces would be notified next week.

Various non-governmental organizations, including Sahil and SOS Village, would be taken on board for technical assistance while United Nation International Children’s Emergency Fund was being approached for financial backstopping.

She said the first task force was meant for early establishment of one-stop facilitation centre in Kasur for counseling of the victims and their families. “Psycho-social and rehabilitation aid are imperative to recover a child abuse victim from such mental agony as most of the affected children reemerged as the child abuser,” she added.

Wiqarunnisa said that the second task force was agreed by Minister for Women Development Punjab, Ashfia Riaz Fatiana in the last meeting which was aimed at pushing a bill about massive legal reforms in prevailing laws and was likely to finalise next week.

The third task force would raise awareness among society and train teachers, students and girl scouts to beat such an attempt without carrying a weapon. She said the last task force would educate the police regarding the child-sensitive investigation, peace-building and community policing. A monitoring team of parliamentary standing committee has also been suggested by the ombudsman to monitor the progress by the task forces, she added.

Enlightening about the legal reforms suggested in a report titled ‘Mapping of Issues and Response to Sexual Violence Against Children’, she said the reforms encompassed enactment of a new law to ensure provision of psycho-social support to every victim and minor accused, during the custodial period at the expense of the state.

It also sought amendments in existing law regarding strict and explicit prohibition of exonerating the accused of such offences, suggesting intervention of the state to pursue the matter despite offering pardon from the aggrieved party.

“The reforms also involved amendment in provisions of Criminal Procedural Code to fix the six-month time frame for deciding cases of child abuse, besides establishment of child protection courts.”

Deliberating on the overall performance on the issue, the focal person said the ombudsman was mandated to diagnose, investigate, redress and rectify any injustice done to a person through maladministration.

So, international commitments of the government of Pakistan and law obligated the state authorities to take special measures for the protection of Pakistani children, she said.

“So far, we have taken several initiatives on this account ranging from an extensive desk research of prevailing system and legal framework, meetings with multiple stakeholders and field work to sensitisation of parliamentarians for bringing a comprehensive legislation,” she added.