‘Child protection law soon’
This was stated here on Saturday evening at the provincial launch of a ‘Global Study in Pakistan’, which is part of the United Nations Secretary-General’s study on violence against children.
The event was jointly organised by Sindh Department of Social Welfare and Development, National Commission for Child Welfare and Development and the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, with the cooperation of Unicef.
The Coordinator at National Commission for Child Welfare and Development (NCCWD), Hasan Manghi said thst 46.7 percent of population, comprising citizens below 18 years of age, needed a multi-sectoral approach to address the issue of violence against children.
He said that it was first time in the country that the government had developed a policy framework based on UN Convention on Child Rights.
The approach, he said, needed to be adequately responded by the provincial governments and districts as well as town governments. Saying that the issue of violence against children is being gradually accepted, Manghi said that interventions with due provision for capacity building–both in the context of human and material resources–has to be strengthened.
He underscored the need for child protection centres at district levels, particularly in face of the fact that more than 30,000 street children are estimated to be roaming in four major cities of the country, while a much higher number may not yet have been registered.
The Officer In charge, Unicef in Sindh, Dr Asif Aslam, said that the report makes its evident that ‘Violence Against Children’ is not justifiable in any condition, and that it is preventable.
Recommendation of the Report, he said, was prohibition of all violence against children, including gender-based violence, through legislation, and its enforcement.
Director, Social Welfare Department, Qurban Ali Memon, presented the address of welcome, and Assistant Director of the Department, Shehnaz Fazal, offered the vote of thanks.
Source: Business Recorder
Date:1/22/2007
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