Civil Bodies For Child Rights Laws Implementation In Pakistan

The civil society organizations, working for the promotion and protection of child rights have stressed the need for a strategy to ensure the implementation of laws to meet Pakistan's obligations under the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 8th Apr, 2021 ) :The civil society organizations, working for the promotion and protection of child rights have stressed the need for a strategy to ensure the implementation of laws to meet Pakistan's obligations under the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC).

During a briefing session on State of Child Rights in view of Pakistan's International Commitments here Thursday, Khalil Ahmed Dogar, Programme Manager, Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) said Pakistan was the sixth and first Muslim country that signed the UNCRC 30 years ago.

The UNCRC is often identified as the standard source for measuring child rights. The convention lists down civil, political, cultural, social, and economic rights of children, and acts as a standard for disseminating laws that might help protect the rights of children, he expressed.

He further added, still we need to work on the foremost infrastructural reforms that are required to uplift the living standard of Pakistan's children.

Whether it's health and nutrition, hazardous labour, early marriages, trafficking, sexual abuse, and exploitation; significant reforms are required to ensure that the rights of all children are protected and delivered.

Khalil Ahmed mentioned that due to a lack of will from policymakers, Pakistani children are deprived of their rights to survival, protection, and development.

He shared Pakistan's low ranking on most of the child-related indicators of Millennium Development Goals, with 22.84 million out-of-school children in Pakistan, which is the 2nd highest figure in the world.

He further said approximately 12 million Pakistani children are engaged in labour force and many of them are involved in hazardous forms. The figure also includes over 1.2 million children living and working on the streets. Child marriages, trafficking for commercial and sexual exploitation, child sexual abuse is also on the rise.

He shared that all political parties have to unite and make across the board efforts otherwise Pakistani children will continue to suffer.