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CRM discusses ways to boost child protection
ISLAMABAD, January 26: The Child Rights Movement (CRM) stressed the need to form a national coordinating group to represent Pakistan in the world. CRM held a special meeting on Jan 25 to discuss the background and strategic framework of South Asian Initiative to End Violence Against Children (SAIEVAC).
SAIEVAC, an inter-governmental body, aims at making the people realise about children’s rights, preventing and responding to all forms of neglect, abuse, exploitation, and violence against children, promoting adoption, implementing and monitoring integrated national strategies and reinforcing regional cooperation to end violence against children.
Within this forum, the South Asia Coordinating Group on Action against Women and Children (SACG) was formed. SPARC Assistant Manager Gulnaz Zahid and Munezeh Bano from Sahil, shared the related information with the participants. Samina Sardar from Plan Pakistan also shed light on the importance of SAIEVAC. Children’s Parliament Pakistan representative Arsalan Lateef, speaker of the Rawalpindi regional assembly, also participated in the meeting.
The meeting decided that a nine-member national-level committee would be formed, which would then elect the chair and co-chair. It decided that the committee would work on areas identified by SAIEVAC and achieve the aims and objectives of the forum.
Strict law urged against child marriage
BADIN, January 22: Speakers at a seminar on “Child marriages” organized by the Child Rights Committee expressed concern over the light punishment envisage in law for organizers of child marriages and demanded repeal of the early child marriage law of 1929 which they said was full of flaws. They demanded a new law with severe punishment for offenders. The speakers said thousands of young girls across the country were being cruelly sent out of their homes, forced into early marriages, some even before reaching the age of 10.
They said the law-breakers should be fined Rs100, 000 and sentenced to one year rigorous imprisonment instead of the fine of Rs1, 000 and detention of one month in the existing law. Top
SPARC Participation in Strategic Dialogue on Human Rights Situation in Pakistan
BANGKOK, January 19: Asian Forum for Human Rights & Development (FORUM-ASIA) organized a three-day strategic dialogue for human rights defenders and journalists to discuss human rights situation in Pakistan. FORUM-ASIA is a membership-based regional organization committed to the promotion and protection of all human rights including the right to development. SPARC is one of the members of FORUM-ASIA alongwith HRCP and NCJPI. Executive Director SPARC in his presentation highlighted the human rights situation in the country and presented suggestions on incorporating human rights in the curricula of police, judiciary and other institutions. The participants included representatives from human rights organizations from Pakistan, Indonesia, FORUM-ASIA members and experts from Freedom House. The purpose of the dialogue was to gather suggestions for future trainings of human rights defenders and journalists on protection mechanisms.These trainings will be conducted shortly in Bangkok and Phillipines in a couple of months. Top
Early marriages lead to health problems
KHAR, January 16: Speakers at a seminar organised by SPARC Child Rights Committee urged the educated people to create awareness about the bad impact of early marriages on the society.
The speakers, including agency surgeon Dr Jehanzeb Dawar, journalists and tribal elders, said that besides facing health problems the young girls were also deprived of education as a result of early marriages. They called upon the media, local community and other organisations to play their role to convince people and the government to take necessary steps for stopping people from early marriages.
They also emphasised education of children, especially girls, which was necessary for creating awareness of different issues among them. Afterwards, a walk was also held against early marriages from agency headquarters hospital, Khar, to Civil Colony. Students and local people took part in the walk, led by Dr Jehanzeb. Top
Campaign on Child Marriages
MARDAN, January 13: SPARC launched a one-week campaign to raise awareness among the masses about the disadvantages of child marriages.
Najibullah, coordinator Child Rights Committee Mardan, said on the occasion that child marriages in Pakistan were a common occurrence in both urban and rural areas. “Child marriages are unjust and unlawful,” he said adding that there was an urgent need to amend the Child Marriages Restraint Act 1929. He added that more than nine child marriage cases had been reported to Sparc during 2011.
The Child Rights Committees (CRC) organised seminars, walks, and press briefings during the one week campaign. Top
Prisoners complete computer course
HARIPUR, January 11: Around 45 juvenile prisoners were awarded certificates on completion of their computer courses at Haripur prison in a ceremony in which additional inspector general of prisons, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Mohammad Ali Shah, was the chief guest. The computer centre was set up inside the prison in 2006 and presently had been run by SPARC.
SPARC programme manager Akber Ali highlighted achievements of the centre and revealed that two former juvenile prisoners, who completed computer courses at the centre, were now employed in multi-national companies in Lahore and Kabul (Afghanistan). He said that another prisoner had opened his own computer training centre in Azad Kashmir. He said that Haripur`s was the only prison in the province where a computer centre had been functioning.
AIG Mohammad Ali Shah said that they would continue partnership with the private sector for providing facilities to the prisoners, especially the juveniles. Top
Campaign Planned against Use of Children as Suicide Bombers
QUETTA, January 2: Speakers at “Consultation for Ratification of Optional Protocol on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts” organised by SPARC vowed to launch a campaign against the use of children as soldiers, particularly as suicide bombers, by extremist groups.
Imtiaz Ahmed from SPARC said the government had recommitted itself to the promotion and protection of child rights and ratified the Optional Protocol to the UN/CRC on Involvement of Children in Armed Conflicts.
The deputy inspector general of prisons, Shujauddin Kasi, underlined the need for ensuring registration of the child at birth because this was necessary to combat juvenile delinquency and crime.
SEHER Executive Director Abdul Wadood Khan Tareen said that no one, including political activists, settlers, journalists and local people, were safe in Balochistan because of the worsening law and order situation.
Sabir Awan said that hundreds of children had been working in mechanical workshops, factories, coalmines and restaurants as labourers.Akbar Sheikh urged the civil society to help deserving poor families whenever they donate to religious seminaries and social welfare organisations.
Hanif Panezai said that all stakeholders, including government departments, civil society, media and communities would have to launch joint efforts to save children from the menace of their involvement in armed conflicts. Top
Child Domestic Worker Strangled to Death
ISLAMABAD, January 6: SPARC issued a press release condemning the death of a domestic worker Shan Ali and demanded both the federal and provincial governments to take solid measures to check growing violence against child domestic workers and respond to the situation by notifying Child Domestic Labour in the list of banned occupations under the Employment of Children Act 1991.
The eleven-years-old boy working as a domestic servant was found dead in the house of his employers under mysterious circumstances. The employers told the police that Shan Ali committed suicide but the police registered a murder case against them and put them behind bars after circumstantial evidence and an autopsy belied their claim.
An autopsy conducted at Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences(PIMS) on the body suggested that the victim was strangled to death and there was no sign of hanging, sources said, adding: “A mark of `O` was found around the neck instead of an `inverted V` which is the sign of suicide by hanging.” No marks of injures were found on the body.
The victim`s family hailed from Jhang but a decade back they migrated to Islamabad and settled in Mehrabadi. Ali had been working with the couple for the last seven months against Rs4,000 monthly salary and lived in his employers` house. His family and relatives staged a protest in front of PIMS and blocked the road for two hours. Top
SPARC Demands Equal Rights for the Bonded Labourers
KOTRI, January 4: After the 18th amendment and the dissolution of the Concurrent List, the province should adopt the Bonded Labor System Abolition Act 1992 and Worker’s Welfare Fund; EOBI and other benefits should be provided to the labourers demanded Mr. Kashif Bajeer at the occasion of a rally for school enrollment campaign of freed bonded labourers and brick kiln workers’ children. The rally started from Baba Salahudin Tomb and ended at Press Club Kotri.
Mr. Bajeer further shared that a week long campaign to raise the issues of bonded labour and the problems faced by labourers in the field has been started. In this context, arranging Rallies, hunger strikes, theater performances and Much Kachahry are underway to make government realize that a separate ministry is compulsory to solve the issues of bonded labourers. Mr. Bajeer regretted that Pakistan is the signatory of Universal Declaration of Human Rights and of ILO conventions on bonded labour but bonded labour still prevails in the country.
Further he demanded that serious efforts should be carried out for the activation of vigilance committees, Labour Inspection and Issuance of Social Security Cards to the labourers.
Mr. Khalid Mahesar Coordinator Child Rights Committee (CRC) Jamshoro said that the labourers are being entangled by giving them advance and loans to meet the expenses on health, marriages and festivals. He demanded of the government that the basic facilities should be provided to labourers as they are equal citizens of Pakistan.
Mr. Sajid Wagan emphasized that the children of freed bonded labourers must be enrolled in government schools and necessary facilities should be provided to them. Top
Police Training and Capacity Building for Democracy and
Human Rights Project
ISLAMABAD, December 31, 2011: Police training and capacity building for democracy and human rights is one of the prominent projects of training unit. SPARC is the implementing partner of Plan Pakistan in the mentioned project funded by European Union.
About 100 police officials from Islamabad police force were trained as master trainers in first phase. Master trainers were provided with guidance and facilitation by the project team to train the peer educators. 580 police officials/peer educators attended the training and were awarded with certificates of completion. Master trainers were acknowledged with appreciation letters in the closing ceremony held at police head quarter police lines Islamabad. Awareness raising material was introduced during the ceremony. Project team along with the trained officials is now expected to disseminate the IEC materials among police officials and the Islamabad community. To hold the sensitisation sessions for about 5000 police officials is the next target of SPARC and Plan. Project team is in the process of designing the upcoming activities. Top
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