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  The State of Pakistan's Children 2002 is the sixth edition of SPARC's annual reports that documents and analyzes the situation of children and measures their everyday conditions against international commitments and standards.
The SPARC report promotes awareness of the Convention on the Rights of Child and its implications and application to children’s lives, monitors the extent to which legislation, policy and practice comply with its principles and standards and, within this broad framework, highlights issues specific to the country.
The six chapters, compiled from the media, other reports and surveys and first hand information, deal with poverty, child labor, education, health, children in Afghanistan and violence against children. The introduction gives an overview of the state of juvenile justice in the years following the promulgation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 and of the UN General Assembly Special Session on Children and Pakistan’s representation at the Summit.
In Pakistan almost half of the total child population lives below the poverty line with little hope of escape given the present allocation of resources needed for their physical, mental and emotional well being. Of particular concern is the social divide, which is a result of the distribution of services in favor of the richer class. The report calls on the government’s poverty alleviation policies to address the underlying question of exploitation and disparity and to ensure that sectors that affect children the most are protected from expenditure cuts.
The chapter on violence highlights the vulnerability of children to abuse and the complicity of state and society in perpetuating a culture of violence and neglect. There are daily reports of violence against children, ranging from neglect to the most heinous sexual and physical abuse. Attention is also drawn to the issue of corporal punishment, a form of discipline that continues to have legal sanction in the form of Section 89 of the Pakistan Penal Code, which empowers parents, teachers and other guardians to use corporal punishment as a means to discipline and correct the behavior of children under 12. This is particularly reprehensible, as corporal punishment is a major contributor to the alarming school dropout rate in Pakistan.
The report appreciates the increased attention and high levels of foreign assistance directed towards the education sector, but at the same time expresses concern over the authorities’ failure to make optimum use of resources and the widespread misuse and misappropriation of funds. It also calls for the introduction of a free and compulsory education system that ensures uniform and quality education to all children.
The report emphasizes the high incidence of child labor as the most pressing child rights issue and which is directly linked to the state of education in the country. The report also expresses concern at the slow rate of progress in the health indicators and of the need to address curative and urban bias in the health services.
For years Pakistan has been host to a large number of Afghan refugees and SPARC feels an obligation to also draw attention to the complex and difficult situation of Afghan children. The trauma of two decades of war, displacement and neglect will take more than a few symbolic gestures to rectify. The international community needs to be continuously reminded of its responsibility and commitments following September 11 so that the basic rights of these children to health, education and protection are guaranteed.
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KARACHI, Oct 27: Parents of 18-year-old Tasleem Solangi, who was killed in an extremely inhumane manner allegedly by some elders of her tribe, have appealed to President and Sindh Chief Minister to provide them protection as “killers are still at large and have not been arrested because of their connections with police”.
