Political unity emphasised for protection of child rights

Islamabad: If all political parties don't forge unity and make across-the-board efforts, there will be no child rights protection in the country to the misery of minors, said child rights activist Dr Syed Safdar Raza.

"As there is a lack of will on part of policymakers, Pakistani children don't have their rights to survival, protection and development,” the activist told a dialogue on 'state of child rights in view of Pakistan’s international commitments’ here at a hotel.

The event was organised by the Child Rights Movement and attended by civil society activists, health advocates, educationists, child rights experts and journalists.

Dr Safdar Raza said Pakistan had failed on most of the child related indicators of the Millennium Development Goals and that Pakistani children suffered from poor health and malnutrition.

He said the country had 22.84 million out-of-school children, the second highest figure in the world, while there’s a wide gender and class divide in provision of child rights. The activist said around 12 million Pakistani children were engaged in labour force, mostly that of hazardous forms.

He added that over 1.2 million children lived and worked on the streets. Dr Safdar Raza also said child marriages, child trafficking for commercial and sexual exploitation, and child sexual abuse were on the rise.

Chairman of the National Assembly Standing Committee on Law and Justice Riaz Ahmed Fatyana highlighted the government's initiatives to protect the child rights. He said Pakistan had around 87.938 million children, who made around 47 per cent of the country's population.

The lawmaker regretted that Pakistan hadn’t delivered on its international and national commitments towards child rights. He however said the current government was striving to improve the situation.

Riaz Fatyana recalled Pakistan’s Prime Minister Imran Khan’s first speech to the nation and said the premier had highlighted the poor state of children's health in Pakistan. He also referred to the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Bill, 2020, Ehsaas Undergraduate Scholarship Programme and other steps of the government to safeguard the rights of children.

Chairperson of the National Commission on Child Rights Afshan Tehseen Bajwa said the formation of the commission was a step in the right direction for protecting the rights of the children. She said policymakers were worried about the country's international commitments on child rights.

“We are especially focusing on the issues of girls’ education, early child and forced marriages, and access to health and hygiene. Increasing participation of children in policy matters related to them is another key goal of the commission,” she said.