CM Baqar condemns killing of children in Palestine on World Children’s Day

Says Israel is killing innocent children in Palestine, which needs to be condemned in strong words

KARACHI  -  Caretaker Chief Minister Justice (retired) Maqbool Baqar has said we are commemorating World Children’s Day all over the world but simultaneously Is­rael is killing innocent children in Palestine, which needs to be condemned in strong words. This he said while talking to the media persons just after lead­ing the Walk organised by the Sindh Child Protection Author­ity (SCPA) of the Social Welfare Department at Seaview to com­memorate World Children’s Day here Sunday. The walk was at­tended by Minister Health Dr Saad Niaz, Secretary of Social Welfare Department Sajid Jamal Abro, Secretaries and senior of­ficers of different departments. 

The event brought together children, parents, community leaders, NGOs, and government officials. The Caretaker Chief Minister emphasized the sig­nificance of children’s rights, their promising future, and the government’s commitment to­wards Child Protection. “We must remember the children being killed by Israel in Pales­tine,” he said and prayed for their protection and care. 

The CM said that World Chil­dren Day observed globally each year was dedicated to promot­ing and advocating for the rights and well-being of children. He added that the walk was initi­ated to raise awareness about the rights and needs of children, emphasizing collective respon­sibility in ensuring children’s secure and promising future. Baqar appreciated the social welfare department that has re­unified 2275 missing children with their families, prevented and addressed around 200 child marriages, rescued 235 kidnapped children with invalu­able assistance from the police, diligently addressed 883 cases of child abuse and violence, pro­vided essential support and care to the affected children. Nota­bly, rescued 1472 children from child beggary, ensuring them the chance to lead lives full of prom­ise and opportunities. 

He said that World Children’s Day was a powerful reminder of our responsibility to protect and nurture the future leaders of our nation. “The Sindh Child Protection Authority under the Social Welfare Department is steadfast in its commitment to implementing policies that pri­oritize the well-being and rights of every child in Sindh,” he said. Baqar said that the Social Wel­fare Department remained de­voted to implementing initia­tives that safeguard the rights and promote the welfare of our children. He added that it has achieved remarkable mile­stones by managing 5497 cases, establishing an efficient 24/7 Sindh Child Helpline 1121, which has handled 129,750 calls over the past five years. 

The CM said that the Social Welfare Dept had established 30 Child Protection Units in each district of Sindh, constituted District Coordination Commit­tees (DCC) for Child Protection in every district, operationalized Shelter Home in Karachi with the capacity to accommodate 300 destitute children. He said that the dept had enforced the Child Protection Amendment Act 2021 and Child Marriage Restraint Act 2013; which strengthened legal protections for children.

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