SPARC was founded in 1992, registered in December 1992 as a society under the Societies Registration Act 1860, by Supreme Court Advocate Anees Jillani. The idea for creating Pakistan’s leading child rights organization came to fruition following a discussion between Anees Jillani and the then UNICEF Program Officer in Islamabad, and an International Baby Food Action Network (IBFAN) Training Course on Implementing the International Code of Marketing of Breast milk Substitutes in Penang, Malaysia.

 

For about three years, Anees Jillani supported all SPARC activities on his own. Later, UNICEF approached SPARC with its first funding wherein the Annual Project Plan of Action was signed. SPARC started to take out a quarterly newsletter in English which was later also published in Urdu and Sindh. UNICEF and the Royal Netherlands Embassy initially supported the newsletter.

 

Canadian International Development Agency (CIDA) was the first to support SPARC institutionally and SPARC set up offices in Islamabad. A hallmark publication of SPARC, The State of Pakistan’s Children, was born; supported by Norwegian Agency for Development (NORAD). SDC brought SPARC into the national sphere with offices opened n Peshawar and Lahore.

 

In 1996, SPARC was asked by SACCS to organize the Global March against Child Labor in Pakistan. Within a short period of time with seminars and consultations, SPARC galvanized the whole country around the child labor issue with the support of NOVIB, International Labor Organization (ILO) and NORAD.

 

After the March, SPARC entered a totally new arena, pursuing a holistic approach aiming to benefit not just a small number of working children but the maximum number of children in the country.

 

SPARC works on a broad range of child rights issues, addressing the overall system and policy framework, with added focus on specific thematic areas of special importance to children. SPARC’s work is guided by international human rights principles and standards which are integrated at policy and program level. The main guiding documents include the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and relevant ILO Conventions.

 

SPARC has consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and the United Nations Department of Public Information and is also partnered with Defense for Children International (DCI).

 

In 2003, SPARC received the United Nations Recognition Award in recognition of its work in highlighting the plight of children and promoting the rights of children in Pakistan.

 

In 2006 SPARC received USAID certification under the USAID Institutional Management Certification Program (IMCP).

 
   
   
   
 
 
Vision
A world in which children are valued and empowered and their rights promoted and protected.

Mission

To promote and protect the rights of children and to empower them using international standards as a yardstick through advocacy supported by research, awareness raising, service delivery, and human and institutional development.
   
© 2019 SPARC - Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child