 |
|
| |
| Pakistan Floods |
| |
 The devastating floods in Pakistan are a "wake-up call" to the world on the threats of climate change" Families in Pakistan have lost everything in the recent monsoon rains and floods. The situation is even worse than the devastating floods of 2010. Millions of people need humanitarian assistance.
Around 33 million people, including approximately 16 million children, have been affected by this year's heavy monsoon rains in Pakistan
One-third of Pakistan is underwater right now. Devastating flash floods have washed away roads, homes and crops - leaving a trail of deadly havoc across Pakistan.The National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) reports almost 1600 fatalities and more than 12,900 injuries as of 23rdSeptember.Schooling has reportedly been interrupted of more than 3.5 million children nationwide, with some23, 900 schools reportedly damaged. |
| |
|
|
| First came the floods. Now, Pakistan's children face a new disaster |
| |
 Children and women are becoming more vulnerable as tens of thousands of people suffer from infectious and water-borne diseases in flood-hit Pakistan according to government data and UNICEF.
More than 10 children die every day at the Mother and Child Healthcare Hospital in Pakistan's Sindh province alone, according to doctors at the facility – all from water-related ailments stemming from this summer's devastating floods that submerged a third of the country.
As flood waters begin to recede, which officials say may take two to six months, the regions have become infested with diseases including malaria, dengue fever, diarrhoea and skin problems. Women and children -mostly malnourished and in poor health in rural regions - are particularly vulnerable. by illegal means such as force, fraud or deception.
|
| |
|
 |
|
| Pakistan floods affecting 16m children, says UNICEF |
| |
Devastating floods in Pakistan triggered by heavy monsoon rains have killed more than 1,600 people, including 579 children, and affected about 16 million children, according to Unicef. Authorities say the waters that have washed away homes, roads, crops, livestock and people will take at least three to six months to recede. At least 3.4 million children remain in need of immediate, lifesaving support. In 81 calamity-hit districts, the children are missing schools and even before this disaster in Pakistan more than 50% children are out of school. |
|
|
|
| |
|
SPARC News |
|
|
 |
|
| |
| SPARC's Assistance to Flood Affected Communities |
| |
SPARC contributed in terms of provision of various services in KP and Sindh province. Provincial teams are connected with the line departments, service providers and other relevant stakeholders for the effective identification and fulfillment of the needs of affected children. Furthermore, the organization is eager to kick start with more projects towards both relief and recovery stages including the establishment of temporary learning centers, child friendly spaces, community empowerment and support, restart of formal schooling of affected children. |
|
| |
| SPARC Nomination in "Violence against Women Committee" |
| |
| Ms. Shumaila Muzammil from SPARC has been nominated as a Member of Violence against Women Committee Sindh Commission on the Status of Women. This nomination will enable SPARC to observe and respond to various cases of violence against women in Sindh province and strive to provide girls and women a protective and empowered environment. |
|
| |
| Youth Training on Protecting Children from Violence and Abuse |
| |
 SPARC conducted a comprehensive training for young interns on "Protecting Children from Violence and Abuse". The activities were consciously designed to be engaging and required complete participation from the young volunteers/students working with child rights movement. The training began with exploring child rights and responsibilities, child ecology and street harassment. Purpose of this training was to protect children from violence and abuse outside their homes. Participants were taught about responding and reporting any street harassment encountered. The group work topics were based on child labour, child marriages, street harassment, corporal punishment, child sexual abuse. |
 |
|
| |
| Consultation to STOP the Sale and Advertisement of Novel Tobacco Products |
| |
SPARC organized an interactive session titled “Consultation to STOP the Sale and Advertisement of Novel Tobacco Products” between media and health activists to enhance media’s role and knowledge on sale and advertisement of emerging tobacco products that are becoming increasingly popular among Pakistani youth due to elaborated advertisement and promotional campaigns. |
|
| Child Protection Project at Meher Abadi- slum area in Islamabad |
| |
 Director General National Commission for Human Development Mr. Habibullah & CEO Pakistan Human Development Fund Mr. Muhammad Zafar Haider visited SPARC's Non-formal Education and Vocational Centres at Meher Abadi, a slum area. The purpose of these centres is to provide skill training to promote socio-economic empowerment in women and girls, decision making and to stop forced/early marriages. DG NCHD and CEO of Human Development Fund Pakistan also appreciated SPARC's solid contribution in child centered laws and policy formulation, mainstreaming of the dropped-out children and street children in schools, youth skills enhancement, and women empowerment. |
|
|
|
| |
| Israeli forces raid and seal shut DCIP (Defence for Children International Palestine) office, leaving official notice declaring organization unlawful |
| |
 Israeli forces raided DCIP's headquarters located in Al-Bireh'sSateh Marhaba neighborhood, located just south of Ramallah August 18. More than a dozen Israeli soldiers forced open the office's locked front door and removed a computer, photocopier, printer, and client files related to Palestinian child detainees represented by DCIP's lawyers in Israel's military courts, CCTV footage showed. They exited the office after 45 minutes; welding shut the entry door and leaving a notice taped to the door ordering the office closed declaring DCIP an illegal organization. It is unclear exactly what items were confiscated.
The raid on the DCIP office was part of a series of early morning raids against the six prominent Palestinian human rights and civil society organizations criminalized by Israeli authorities in October 2021, including Addameer, Al-Haq, DCIP, the Union of Agricultural Work Committees, the Bisan Center for Research and Development, and the Union of Palestinian Women Committees. The groups work directly with Palestinian women and girls, children, peasant families, prisoners, and civil society activists, providing direct services and monitoring and exposing human rights abuses.
Israeli Minister of Defense, Benny Gantz, designated the six Palestinian human rights and civil society groups as "terrorist organizations" on October 19, 2021, pursuant to a 2016 Israeli law, a designation that effectively criminalizes the activities of these organizations and authorizes Israeli authorities to close their offices, seize their assets, and arrest and jail their staff members.
Belgium, Denmark, France, Germany, Ireland, Italy, the Netherlands, Spain and Sweden released a joint statement on the Israeli designations stating that "no substantial information was received from Israel that would justify reviewing our policy towards the six Palestinian NGOs on the basis of the Israeli decision to designate these NGOs as 'terrorist organizations.
United Nations officials, including human rights experts, have condemned the designation and called upon Israeli authorities to reverse the designation immediately and cease efforts to criminalize human rights work. Many solidarity statements have been issued by trade unions, academics, editorial boards, human rights and development organizations, celebrities and artists, and individuals. |
| |
| Pakistan urges UN to keep focus on children's plight in IIOJK (Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir) |
| |
 Pakistan has urged the United Nations to keep focus on children's plight in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK). Speaking in the annual debate on "Children and Armed Conflict" at United Nations, Pakistan's Permanent Representative to the United Nations Munir Akram said Indian forces are committing "horrifying crimes" against children in occupied territory.
He said children and youth are routinely detained and subjected to torture and ill-treatment in order to elicit intelligence or extract confessions that they are associated with the Kashmiri groups struggling for the self-determination which was promised by the Security Council.
Since 2019 when India illegally passed a legislation to annex the disputed territory, an estimated 13,000 Kashmiri children and youth have been arbitrarily captured by the 900,000 Indian occupation forces
Munir Akram cited the Secretary-General's report which urged the Indian Government to undertake preventive measures to protect children in IIOJK, including by ending the use of pellets and illegal detention, both in occupied Kashmir and in various prisons across India. |
|
|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| |
| |
Our mailing address is: |
Follow SPARC on social media |
| |
House # 98, Street # 05, MPCHS, E-11/1, Islamabad
info@sparcpk.org | Tel # 051-2163011 |
|
|
|
|
|
| |
|
