HYDERABAD: “With a Human Development Index (HDI) value of 0.538, Pakistan ranks 147th out of 188 countries and territories, 23rd in the chart of under five mortality ratio with a trend of around 86 deaths per 1000 births.”
The seminar held on Child Rights held on Sunday observed while referring to the United Nations’ Human Development Report (HDR). The seminar was organized by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC).
Presenting a report on child situation SPARC’s National Manager, Kashid Bajeer and Zahid Thebo said that child protection act was passed in 2011, but rules under it have not been framed as yet despite passage of 5 years. Resultantly, not a single rupee out of the allocation of Rs.200 million for child protection has been spent during the last six months of 2016-17.
SPARC apprehended that there seems no hope even during coming six months. They told that under CPA 29, child protection centers were to be set up in Sindh, but so far only three have been opened, which has caused 6 million children in Sindh out of 25 millions in Pakistan to saty without schooling.
They said the statement of the Secretary Education Sindh, the dropout of children from schools was increasing child labor. But unfortunately, according to the survey carried 20 years earlier, the figure of child labor was 33 millions in country but it is deplored that authorities did not carry out any other survey since.
Speakers said that hundreds of thousands of children in province were seen on railway stations, shrines, on streets, but government has taken no notice of precious lives innocent children being spoilt by wandering aimlessly as street children.
In Hyderabad, Social Welfare Department, Darul Itfal was set up, where only 25 to 30 children were being cared while more than 25 million children of Hyderabad region were in need of attention. At end of the seminar, the speakers submitted recommendations for a separate ministry for Child Welfare with separate allocation for children; Sindh government should enforce and implement laws pertaining to children; improve children’s data base in Sindh and frame rules under CPA, which is pending since 2011.
