August 3, 2003	Sunday	Jumadi-us-Sani 4, 1424

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QUETTA, Aug 2: No government and society can deny children their legitimate rights. There is a need to create awareness in society about child rights and to mount an effort to protect them.

This was the thrust of speeches made at a one-day media development workshop entitled the Convention on the Rights of Children here on Saturday. Balochistan Assembly’s member Mrs Robina Irfan presided over the event.

The speakers were of the view that most of the NGOs and other forums were just holding meetings and workshops to discuss the child rights issue, and have not taken any practical steps for resolving the children’s problems.

Most of the participants suggested that children belonging to different walks of life should be invited to workshops and seminars so that they could talk about their own problems.

Mrs Robina Irfan said that children, irrespective of which nation, religion or generation they belonged to, have equal rights. No society or religion can negate their rights.

She said in addition to providing education and health-care facilities, the government should establish technical institutions for providing professional training to the children of labourers and poor people.

She said that economic disparity in society was the main cause forcing children to work as labourers at a tender age.

She said people belonging to all segments of society as well as the media should come forward and play their role in creating awareness about protection of child rights.

She said the electronic and print media should arrange special programmes in this connection.

Mrs Robina Irfan suggested that working children should be invited to such workshops and seminars so that people got to know of their thinking, points of view concerning their problems.

The government should announce a special package for such children, she added.

Deputy Director Social Welfare Hashim Khan Kakar informed the workshop that, in cooperation with the International Labour Organization (ILO), 30 centres have been established in Quetta where over 300 working children were obtaining professional training.

He said his department had opened 16 such centres in the city, which had to be closed due to shortage of funds.

Those who spoke at the workshop were Abdul Ghafar Nasar, Rasheed Baig, Ikran Ahmed, and Shahzada Zulfiqar.

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