NCRC holds consultation with stakeholders to address rising cases of child rights abuses in KP

Islamabad: National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) on Monday held a joint consultation with stake holders to introduce practical amendments into the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Child Protection Welfare Act and to address the rising cases of child rights abuses in the province.

Statement released here said that a joint consultation organised by the Government of Pakistan, National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC), Provincial Assembly, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, and Social Welfare Department, Government of KP, was held on KP Legislative Reforms to highlight to develop an understanding and consensus among key stakeholders to introduce legislative reforms in KP through amendments in KP Child Protection Welfare Act, 2010.

The reason behind this consultation was to address the rising cases of child rights abuses in KP through a more comprehensive understanding of the issues and solutions.

The purpose of this consultation was to introduce practical amendments into the KP Child Protection Welfare Act, 2010 to ensure institutional clarity of roles and functions between KP Commission and Social Welfare Department as well as to empower KP Commission being quasi-judicial body with a function of oversight and monitoring, and power to inquire and investigate violations of child rights to protection, redress complaints of victims including power to summon persons or records.

In addition, the objective was also to empower Social Welfare Department KP as an implementing body with a function to establish a coordinated child protection case management and referral system to respond to all forms of child abuse in KP and to align it with the Pakistan’s Constitutional and other provisions of applicable criminal laws on violence, abuse, and exploitation of children as well as with UNCRC and Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of Child.

The speakers were speaking at the KP Legislative Workshop. These included Afshan Tehseen, Chairperson (NCRC), Zulfikar Ali Shah, Secretary Social Welfare, KP Government, Micaela Pasini, Chief of Child Protection UNICEF-Pakistan, and Dr. Muhammad Jahanzeb Khan, Member KP (NCRC), who extended welcome to the esteemed parliamentarians for participating in the said consultation.