SPARC PRESS RELEASE
June 3, 2010
Launching of The State of Pakistan’s Children 2009
Government Fails To Fulfil Promises Made To Children--SPARC Report
ISLAMABAD, June 3: The State of Pakistan’s Children 2009 is once again a sad reminder that Pakistan is not doing enough or not at all for the welfare of its children, when we record the grim health statistics that every year 400,000 children under five years of age die and out of these, over 300,000 in the first year of their life, while increasing poverty is pushing more children into child labour, and the low and inefficiently spent education budget decreasing opportunities for children to access the right to education. In addition to the fact that all child related legislation are in a indeterminate state, stated a Press Release issued by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) today in Islamabad.
Speaking at the launch of the SPARC flagship report The State of Pakistan’s Children 2009 Executive Director Mr Arshad Mahmood said this is an opportune time to ask some difficult questions. We have to ask the State as to what has been done in the past 20 years to ensure all children enjoy their basic rights. We need to know why it is taking so long to legislate for children; why budgetary allocations for child centered programmes remain at bare minimum levels; why there is still no statutory body to protect and promote child rights in Pakistan. In 1990 Pakistan ratified the Convention on the rights of the child and committed to align its national laws and policies with the provisions given in the convention. The successive governments have failed to fulfil this promise. Most importantly, how can we expect Pakistan to prosper without investing in its children?
Children in Pakistan continue to bear the brunt of poverty, illiteracy, poor governance and corruption, terrorism and militancy. Children are either directly involved, are potential militants or are victims of militancy. Whichever ways we look at it, children are paying a heavy price and losing out on all the rights enshrined in the country’s constitution as well as in the international instrument to which Pakistan is a signatory.
Giving an overview of the 2009 report on state of children Ms Amina Sarwar, Research Officer SPARC said despite all the grimness there are some positive developments too. In juvenile justice the number of children has dropped from estimated 4, 000 to about 1800-2000 at any given time. Besides there has been 90% increase in the gross enrollment of children at pre-primary level. However, from the overview it is clear that the large chunk of the children is still denied their rights to education, health, safety, security etc. and is becoming victims of terrorism, internal conflict, losing homes and adding to the army of deprived children.
According to the report edited by National Manager Research Ms. Zarina Jillani, the wave of internal displacement in 2009 is considered ‘the single largest population movement recorded in the country since it was created’. Children in Swat witnessed some of the most brutal acts of the militants. In this conflict, 600,000 children are reported to have missed up to a year of school. The total estimated cost of the damage caused to education sector in the five districts of Buner, Upper and Lower Dir, Shangla, and Swat as well as the two tribal agencies of Bajaur and Mohmand in FATA is Rs. 3,040.5 million.
The report once again laments the lack of reliable and comparable statistical data on child labour at the national level that makes it difficult to study the trend of child labour over the years understand the impact of the numerous interventions or plan actions to address the issue. There are various estimates of the number of child labourers in the country. In 2003, UNICEF estimates were about eight million child labourers and in 2005, the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan report estimated the number of child labourers in the country to be about ten million. According to the Pakistan Labour Force Survey (2007-2008) there are over 21million children between 10 to 14 years of age. Out of this 2.68 million or 12 percent of this age group is employed.
SPEAKERS
Senior Programme Officer International Labour Organization Mr.Saifullah M. Chauhdary said that ILO’s work on Child Labour is guided by two core conventions No.138 on minimum age for child labour and 182 on worst forms of child labour these two conventions talk about the age of children who can work. He added that the 18th amendment is a positive step by making education compulsory. This is one measure step that it will help in eliminating child labour. The good news is that the ILO will begin a child labour survey in 2010 a long awaited need in order to plan policies and strategies required to eliminate child labour in Pakistan.
Mr. Ejaz Ahmed Qureshi of Office of Federal Ombudsman said that SPARC stands prominent as one of those civil society organisations who are working extensively for child rights. He said that it was imperative to create institutions for child protection and therefore it was important to have children’s complaint center (CCO) for children so that the issues relating to almost 48% of the population could be addressed. In CCO as first step we are dealing with children’s individual or on behalf of children complaints with any federal institutions. There must be an appropriate organizational structure, adequate funding and trained staff for complaint centres to function efficiently and effectively to protect child rights and children in Pakistan.
Country Director, Save the Children Sweden Syed Mehmood Asghar congratulated SPARC for producing a comprehensive report on child issues. He expressed his concerns on different child rights issues like child trafficking as camel jockeys, internet pornography where children only access pornographic material. He lamented that
“Nobody takes up the issue of children working in coal mines in Baluchistan, though it is denied by the authorities but I can vouch that there are children working in the mines who are also sexually abused”. He said that this report can be made more comprehensive by feedback from the civil society and can be sent to the Committee on the Rights of the Child.
Member National Assembly of Pakistan Ms. Bushra Gohar said that we have not moved forward regarding child rights. We have to show our commitments and make clear recommendations for the path forward. She discussed the work done by SPARC on child marriages and minimum age of criminal responsibility and suggested that the age should be raised to 14 from 7. She also said that there should be uniform education since 18th amendment makes education compulsory and government should make an effort to implement it so that all children benefit from the amendment.
Federal Minister for Social Welfare and Special Education Ms. Samina Khalid Ghurki in her key note address appreciated SPARC for regularly producing annual reports. The survival, development and protection are the foundations of human kind. Children deserve our attention and allocation of resources for their better and protected future.
The State of Pakistan’s Children 2009 is an important document that shows the way forward to all the stakeholders including the government, civil society, child rights activists to promote and protect the rights of the children so that they can enjoy their inherent and basic rights which would ensure for them a happy, fulfilled and successful life in Pakistan.
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