SPARC is an independent non-governmental organization registered as a society in Pakistan in December 1992 and has been working exclusively on child related issues since then, drawing inspiration from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.
SPARC was established to act as an advocacy group for child rights. From its initial focus on protecting breastfeeding against the marketing of baby milks and foods, SPARC expanded its work to include other issues such as child labor, juvenile justice, education and violence against children. SPARC has also from time to time taken up issues that ultimately affect the condition of children in this country, such as corruption, freedom of association and the “myth or reality” of NGOs.
SPARC has been instrumental in introducing the concept of child rights and in raising issues that were previously not part of the national debate. While realizing the importance of maintaining its independence, SPARC has found it useful to engage the government to convince it to keep commitments and bring about legislative changes where necessary.
| • | Among its innumerable activities spanning more than a decade, SPARC: |
| • | Wrote for UNICEF the publication titled Pakistani Laws and the Convention on the Rights of theChild, which encouraged the Government in finally deciding to sign the UN CRC; |
| • | Drafted Pakistan’s response to the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child after its consideration of Pakistan’s first report to the Committee on its compliance with the UN CRC; |
| • | Was the only Pakistani NGO to submit an Alternative Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2003, when the Committee was considering Pakistan’s Second Report; |
| • | Played a key role in the drafting and later enactment of the Protection of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Ordinance 2002; |
| • | Played an active role in getting the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 enacted and the Rules subsequently notified in all four Provinces; |
| • | Secured the release of juvenile prisoners through several Presidential Orders by working through its Board Member and then Federal Minister for Social Welfare, Dr Attiya Innayatullah; |
| • | Lobbied its Board Member and then Minister for Social Welfare in the Punjab, Ms Shaheen Attiqur Rehman, to notify the Punjab Youthful Offenders Ordinance in January 2000. The law had remained dormant on the statue books since1983. |
| • | Improves the conditions of juvenile sections of jails and provide other basic amenities such as water coolers, fans, exhaust fans, indoor games and books to children in jail with the active operation of its donors Swiss Agency for Development and Cooperation and Save the Children-Sweden; |
| • | Played a key role in the notification of Rules under the Employment of Children Act 1991 in the Frontier Province; |
| • | Played a pivotal role in getting the Employment of Children Rules extended to FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and PATA (Provincially Administered Tribal Areas); |
| • | Has organized annually since 1999 a Child Labor-Free Week from November 13 to 20,during which organizations and individuals throughout Pakistan organize activities to raise awareness about child labor and mobilize public and official support for its elimination; |
| • | Formed and later served (to date) as the national secretariat of CACL (Coalition Against Child Labor) that now consists of more than 350 organizations, including trade unions; |
| • | Established CRCs (Child Rights Committees) in more than 40 districts to monitor and promote child rights in their respective localities; |
| • | Produces a large number of brochures on almost all aspects relating to child rights, almost all of which are available in Urdu. |
| • | Produces an annual report, The State of Pakistan’s Children, monitoring the year’s developments with regard to child rights in Pakistan |
| • | Published three major books on child labor,juvenile justice and child rights – the first of their kind; |
| • | Publishes a quarterly newsletter exclusively devoted to coverage of news relating to child rights in English, Urdu and Sindh; |
| • | Publishes a biannual magazine, Discourse, on child rights. |
| • | Produced two documentaries, The Silent Scream: Child Labor in Pakistan, and The Elusive Dreams: The Lives of Girl Children in Lahore’s Shahi Mohallah (Lahore’s red light area). |