Speakers at a consultation on violence against children on Thursday urged the government to ensure enforcement of laws pertaining to protection of children’s rights. They asked the government to ensure that every child was safe.
The event, organised by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC), focused on developing ways to eliminate violence against children.
Sialkot Police headquarters SP Asad Sarfraz, Executive District Officer (Community Development) Abdul Hameed Qasim, Social Welfare District Officer Muhammad Nawaz Khan, MPA Zulfiqar Ghauri, Deputy District Officer Chaudhry Sharif Ghumman, Social Welfare Officer Tabassum Shabbir and Mubashir Ahmed, the Sialkot police child protection desk in charge, were also present.
Sparc District Coordinator Muhammad Arslan Khan said the increase in child abuse cases in Pakistan was disturbing. He stressed the need to create awareness in the society about child abuse and its implications for children.
“The incidents of abuse and violence against children are so widespread that every child is at risk of becoming a victim,” Khan said.
Most of these children, he said, were abused by someone they had known and trusted, such as a close relative or a family friend.
He said studies conducted by Sparc’s Sialkot committee had identified lack of law enforcement, negligence by parents and lack of awareness among children as the main reasons behind the increase in crime against children.
SP Sarfraz said that the society had to realise that child sexual abuse was a matter of grave concern.
He said it was a global phenomenon but the developed nations had adopted strict measures to protect their children from such incidents. The government should run awareness programmes throughout the country, especially in the rural areas, where such cases are reported more often.”
He said most parents, especially of a girl child, were hesitant to report child abuse to the police. He said there was a need to educate and encourage parents to play their part as responsible members of the community.
“We all have a responsibility here,” he added.
EDO Qasim said that a major factor in child abuse in Pakistan was the easy access to children due to the parental negligence. He said effects of abuse on children included guilt, nightmares, insomnia and social disintegration. He said union council secretaries should initiate awareness campaigns in their areas.
MPA Ghauri said that the government was committed to protecting rights of children. He said the Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz would try its best to protect child rights and eliminate violence against children.
“The government welcomes all stakeholders to join hands for protecting children,” he said.
Sparc representatives asked the MPA to ensure that the government took effective steps to pass all pending legislation pertaining to child rights and protection.
Published in The Express Tribune, September 20th, 2013.