Effective law urged to protect child rights
ISLAMABAD, June 27: Speakers at a regional parliamentary seminar on child protection Wednesday urged for effective legislation to protect child rights across the boundaries and by doing away with harmful customs and traditions.
They laid stress on enhanced role of parliamentarians, non- governmental and international organizations and involvement of all segments of society above all the media to raise awareness on the issue relating to juvenile justice.
The four-day seminar on ‘Developing a protection environment for South Asian children and the role of parliamentarians in the protection of children in the juvenile justice system’ has been organised by the Senate.
National Assembly Speaker Chaudhry Amir Hussain inaugurated the seminar. Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali, Secretary General Inter-Parliamentary Union Andres B Johnson and Unicef Resident Representative, Martin Mogwanja also addressed the participants.
Chaudhry Amir Hussain said accelerated and concerted efforts by the stakeholders have in fact paved the way for breaking the silence about very sensitive and crucial issues.
“Children are our future and we are bound to concentrate on efforts for adopting appropriate legal safeguards for protecting our children,” he said.
He described these efforts as just a beginning and hinted at going a long way in realising full protection to children guaranteeing their survival, development, protection and participation.
He mentioned that Pakistan is among the initiators for United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and said, “our Constitution also provides opportunities to our children to achieve their full potential.
“But we need to mobilise adequate resources and create the proper institutional system for implementation of the action plans across multiple sectors,” Amir Hussain said.
Pakistan is signatory to Stockholm Declaration and Agenda for Action (Sweden, 1996) that calls for “the development of national agenda for action to reduce the number of children vulnerable to abuse, exploitation, nourishing an environment, attitudes and practices responsive to child rights”.
Pakistan also effectively participated in the Yokohama Congress and South Asian Strategy which strongly recommended allocation of adequate resources to counter heinous crimes against children and adequate measures to protect children from child pornography on the Internet and a deepened focus on awareness raising and community surveillance of Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children. It has also ratified ILO Convention 182 on the Elimination of Worst Form of Child Labour.
At the regional front, Pakistan is signatory to the SAARC Convention on Regional Agreements for the Promotion of Child Welfare in South Asia and SAARC Convention on Preventing and Combating Trafficking in Women and Children for Prostitution that give the region a renewed hope for realization of dreams through social, political, economic stability and happiness.
Senate Deputy Chairman Jan Muhammad Jamali called for creating a protective environment for children to save them from all types of abuse and safeguard their rights.
“Building a protective environment for children will help prevent violence and abuse and exploitation of respond to children,” Mr Jamali said.
For the purpose, he said, there is need for strengthening government commitment and capacity to fulfil children’s right to protection, the establishment and enforcement of adequate legislation; addressing harmful attitudes and customs and practices.
Unicef Resident Representatives Martin Mogwanja pointed out that juvenile offenders experience much greater physical and emotional abuse.
“Research from around the world indicates that juvenile offenders have by and large experienced much greater physical and emotional abuse and neglect in their lives than other children,” he said addressing a seminar on protection of child.
Mr Martin said investing in policies which address these risks, along with poverty and social exclusion, can be an important part of prevention.
But, he stressed that recognizing and addressing the protection needs of young offenders must also be part of the equation.
He said the UNICEF and our sister UN agencies are responsible for helping member states to uphold the UN charter on human rights, including working to achieve the Millennium Development Goals.
“But it is only through the decisive action of policy makers and government agencies and the support of civil society to address the problems like poverty and exclusion and ensure protection and opportunities to bring a real change in their lives.
“In the area of juvenile justice, your efforts can go a long way – contributing not only to the immediate goal of ensuring that children who come into conflict with the law are dealt with in ways that guarantee their rights, but also in paving the way for better justice and law enforcement, lower crime rates and even reduced poverty,” he stated.
The vast majority of children who are accused of minor infractions, when exposed to a particular criminal justice system, are re-offend thus making their communities less safe.
He said worldwide, at least one million children are deprived of their liberty. But most countries lack accurate statistics on the number of children in detention.
Mr Martin said the Unicef and the UN family’s work on juvenile justice is based on the CRC as well as the many UN human rights standards on the issue.
He said justice systems designed for adults are more likely to harm than improve a child’s chances for reintegration into society.
He urged parliamentarians and legislators to insist their governments for review of existing legislation, data collection, visit to detention places, end restrictions on their liberty and allocation of sufficient funds for the establishment and good functioning of child friendly procedures.
Source: Dawn
Date:6/28/2007
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