One Stop Facilitation Centre For Child Abuse Victims To Be Operational In Kasur By Month End

ISLAMABAD, (UrduPoint / Pakistan Point News - 20th Jan, 2019 ) :The 'One Stop Facilitation Centre', a pilot project project of the Federal Ombudsman for reintegrating the victims of child abuse in the society after providing them medico-psychological assistance via one window operation, will be operational at the District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital, Kasur by end of this month.

All necessary arrangements were being completed while training of the staff for monitoring of pedophilia victims at the DHQ Hospital was also being conducted weekly, Commissioner for Children and Focal Person on Child Abuse of Federal Ombudsman Syeda Viqar-un-Nisa told APP on Sunday.

The facilitation center was established earlier this month and in this connection, an accord was inked among Fatima Jinnah Medical University Lahore (FJMU), the Federal Ombudsman, District Jail Kasur and DHQ, Kasur, during the first meeting of the Task Force on 'One-Stop Facilitation Centre for Children's Rehabilitation' previously held at the Office of Vice Chancellor FJMU, Lahore.

According to the Memorandum of Understanding (MoU), a Hospital Child Protection Committee would be set up, spearheaded by medical superintendent (MS) DHQ, Kasur, which would nominate more focal persons from FJMU belonging to the other medical disciplines to provide required treatment to the patient ranging from gynecological to physiological.

Viqar-u-Nisa said as there was no sanctioned post of a psychiatrist in Kasur, therefore, efforts were under way to create a consultant psychiatrist post at the DHQ hospital, Kasur. The psychiatrist would visit the hospital frequently as the victim needed constant monitoring, she added.

The commissioner said they were in constant contact with health authorities of the Punjab to create a permanent vacancy of psychiatrist in Kasur district.

"Psycho-social and rehabilitation aid are imperative to retrieve a child abuse victim from such mental agony as most of affected children re-emerged as child abuser," she reckoned.

She said a training programme for the police on community policing had been prepared to ensure the protection of children rights in the Kasur. The training aimed at sensitizing of police on child rights and their violation, imparting knowledge about local and international laws and inculcating skills to bring behavioural change.

The Commissioner said they were also conducting need-based child protection trainings of the community which were designed, initially for 60 teachers per month. Later on, it would be extended to girls guide, scouts, parents and community members, she added.

She said they were also in contact with parliamentarians of Punjab Assembly and apprised them about the issue of child abuse, adding that the latter's were being convinced to establish caucus on child rights in the parliament for bringing legal reforms and formation of committee in the parliament to monitor the cases of violence against children.

She also shared the details of the recently held meeting of Ombudsman with all stakeholders to review the implementation status of recommendation of the Report prepared by office of National Commissioner for Children, titled "Kasur Tragedy and Redressal of Systemic Issues" in the backdrop of Zainab murder cum assault case happened last year.

She said the meeting recommended that separate child protection courts must be established in Kasur like the Gender-Based Violence Court in Lahore. The proposed Court should only take up the cases of sexual violence against children.

The meeting also suggested harsh punishments for the offenders of sexual violence against children. It also stressed for creating permanent position of psychiatrist in DHQ hospital Kasur at the earliest.

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