6,780 kids subjected to abuse during '08: report

KARACHI - Violation of children’s rights is on rise in Pakistan as the government has failed to implement the relevant laws, both local as well as international, to prohibit this menace, speakers said while discussing a report of the Society for the Protection of Rights of the Child (SPARC) titled “The State of Pakistan’s Children 2008", published on Thursday at local hotel.
Speaker Sindh Assembly Nisar Ahmed Khuhro, Advisor to CM Ms. Sharmila Farooqui, Saeed Gulzar Jumani Director Labour Department and civil society activists attended the ceremony.
The report was released in connection with international day against Child labour to be celebrated today (Friday) all over the world. The SPARC report is in form of a book envisaged on seven chapters touching violence against children, state of education, health, IDPs, Child labour, Juvenile Justice and Media violence.
It shows that violence against children is on rise in the country as total 6,780 cases of child abuse, murder, kidnapping, sexual abuse, suicide and child trafficking were reported during 2008. The corporal punishment, street children, jirgas, minor age marriages, acid attacks and other issues relating to children are covered in the report.
Report unveiled that due to severe poverty and abject economic situation of the parents, at least 30 to 40 per cent of the children are out of school. While, the number of ghost teachers has reached to 30,000.
Report observed that despite tall claims by the governments, the education sector was neglected during 20 years as budget allocations for education sector which was 2.4 percent of GDP in 1988, while it remained 2.9 percent of GDP in FY2007-08.
Similarly, SPARC report unveiled the pathetic condition of health sector as well as child rights and child labour. The domestic labour has proved worst form of child labour, report said.
Meanwhile, Nisar Khuhro Speaker Sindh Assembly addressing the ceremony attributed the unelected rule behind all the misdeeds in the country which automatically impacting on children.
He appreciated the report and said that as conscious citizens, we all should fulfill our duty regarding children rights’.
He also said that government departments should initiate amendments in law for eradication of child labour.
Ms. Sharmila Farooqui Advisor to Chief Minister said that the country is facing adverse kind of poverty which is compelling the parents to not to send children in schools.