Pakistan to Devise Policy Against Child Abuse

“A parliamentary forum will take up the children’s rights issue today (Monday) to devise ways and means to end violence against children in the country.

A special parliamentary forum was constituted by National Assembly Speaker Dr Fehmida Mirza last month to oversee the rights of children, and especially the rising tide of violence against them.
The forum has been constituted in pursuance of a resolution adopted by the National Assembly on July 9, with the terms of reference to ensure children’s rights in the country.
Headed by Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) MNA Rubina Saadat Qaimkhani, the forum comprises MNAs Shazia Marri, Natasha Daultana, Dr Zil-e-Huma, Raja Muhammad Asad Khan, Dr Nelson Azeem, Dr Doniya Aziz, Shagufta Sadiq, Advocate Pervaiz Khan, Asiya Nasir and Bilal Rehman. A non-governmental organisation, Sahil, has recently indicated in its survey report that abuse of children’s rights is on the rise across the country.
According to the report, the number of children who are sexually abused in Pakistan has registered an alarming increase of 40 percent during January-June in the current year.
A total of 1,573 children were sexually abused in the first six months of this year. During the same months last year, the number of children who were abused stood at 1,123, projecting an addition of 450 victims, an increase of 40 percent.
The report says that the increase observed in a short period of six months is a matter of concern. It mentions that the trend of increase in violence against children, especially sexual abuse, is rising across the country.
Out of the 1,573 cases, 28.2 percent cases involved boys and 71.7 percent girls, the report highlighted.”

Parliamentary body to devise policy against child abuse

[Daily Times 8/13/12]

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