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Govt asked to ensure early legislation on child rights

Bureau Report 2015-05-14
PESHAWAR: A non-government organisation, Child Rights Movement (CRM), has demanded of the provincial government to ensure legislation on the bills related to the children`s welfare, which have been pending in the KP assembly.

Spealcing at a news conference at the press club here on Wednesday, the CRM`s coordinator Shakeel Khan said that af ter the 18th constitutional amendment it was duty of the provincial governments to legislate in accordance with the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC), which has been ratified by Pakistan.

He shared the situation of child rights, policies, laws, status of implementation, budgetary allocations for child rights and plans to further strengthen advocacy for improving the state of child rights.

Accompanied by other officebearers of CRM, Shakeel Khan said the delay in passing the pendingbills in the provincial assembly, including the KP Child Marriage Restraint Bill, Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill and the KP Right to Free and Compulsory Education Bill, was a cause for concern. He urged the lawmakers to prioritise child rights-related legislation.

He said that due to the absence of relevant legislation children were deprived of their rights, and the number of out-of-school children was increasing fast.

Shakeel Khan asked the government to increase budget for the children in the 2015-16 budget and establish child rights units in all the districts of the province.

The CRM representative also called for an end to violence against children and child labour and for adopting a comprehensive policy for their welfare and education.

He also stressed the need for approval of the article 25-A (compulsory education) of the constitution so that all the out-of-school childrencouldbe broughttoschool and made useful citizens of thesociety.

Shakeel Khan urged the government to take serious steps for an end to the illegal practice of child marriages and take action against those found involved in the practice.

Meanwhile, another NGO working for children`s welfare outlined its strategy and priorities for 201618 at a daylong consultative workshop here. Members of civil society, national and international NGOs and implementing partners attended the function organised by Save the Children, according to APP.

The NGO decided to increase the working ratio of the organisation with the implementing partners from 10 to 40 per cent in Pakistan.

The workshop was held to seek opinion of the stakeholders to this effect.

The NGO`s director programme, Amir Habib, briefed the participants about the progress made in the three sectors, including reduction in mortality rate of children below five years of age from the cur-able diseases, protection of children from all kind of violence and provision of quality basic education to them.

The new plan included concentration on alleviating poverty of children, their protection, children rights, education, health and food.

Civil society activists stressed the need of improving services for children.

Country head DFID Richard Montgomery on the occasion lauded the NGO for arranging the consultative session, adding that his organisation believed in strengthening the civil society in the process of development.

The DFID will share its policy and strategy with other NGOs regarding nutrition of children, their death in early ages, and substandard education.

The NGO`s country director Farhana Faroogi while stressing on strengthening relationship between the civil society, provincial and central governments to bring about a positive change in the lives of children.