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The Children Complaint Office inaugurated on Thursday at the Sindh ombudsman’s secretariat in Karachi is an important step towards child welfare. Set up in collaboration with Unicef, the office is meant to ensure the expeditious handling of complaints related to child abuse or exploitation.
The effort needs to be publicised to make people aware of the facility. The Sindh governor has announced a Rs 5m grant for the initiative, which, it is hoped, will bolster efforts being made by the provincial commission for child welfare and development. It is also hoped that the Sindh Child Protection Authority Bill 2009 will soon be enacted into law. Nevertheless, far more must be done in terms of the welfare of the country’s young. Children face abuse ranging from violence at home and in school, to child labour, trafficking and exploitation. Juvenile offenders suffer all manner of ill treatment in jails and there is insufficient legislation covering their situation. A comprehensive strategy is needed to improve the lives of Pakistan’s children. Legislation such as the Domestic Violence (Prevention and Protection) Bill and the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance are encouraging but insufficient.
The latter, for example, was formulated in 2000 but its stipulated codes of conduct have never been properly implemented. Similarly, despite the Employment of Children Act 1991, child labour has increased in recent years due to rising poverty. Moreover, legislative efforts must be accompanied by an increase in budgetary allocations for children’s health and education, and related issues such as development and poverty need to be addressed.
Pakistan ratified the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 but child abuse and exploitation remain endemic. With the country’s population skewed heavily towards the young and a high birth rate, it is time that the protection of child rights became a priority of the state and citizenry alike.
Reference:
Dawn news
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