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| October 4, 2005 | Tuesday | Sha’aban 29, 1426 |
FCR termed draconian
PESHAWAR, Oct 3: Participants of a conference held here on Monday on child protection in the NWFP termed the Frontier Crimes Regulation a draconian law, saying that it was against the basic human rights of the people of the tribal areas, including children and women.
Speaking at the conference organized by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc), NWFP Governor Khalilur Rehman said protection of children was everybody’s responsibility. The task of child protection was a hard one, mainly due to poverty, he said.
The governor said the government was trying to extend educational facilities to every part of the tribal areas to save the children of the region from child labour and exploitation.
He said it would be impossible to govern the Federally Administered Tribal Areas without the FCR and it would not be possible to repeal it, however, its certain clause would be amended and the law would be given a humane face.
He said he would look into the imprisonment of around 35 children under the collective responsibility clause of the FCR and resolve the matter as soon as possible.
Sparc Coordinator Anees Jillani said there were some of the worst forms of child labour in the NWFP and Fata. He said implementation of labour laws like the Employment of Children Act, 1991, and the Minimum Wages Ordinance would bring some positive changes in the lives of the exploited children.
“You visit any jail in Pakistan and you will come across juvenile inmates belonging to the Frontier and Fata imprisoned under drug trafficking charges,” he said.
He requested the governor to look into the cases of children imprisoned under the FCR and make sure that they were released without any unnecessary delay.
Sparc Deputy Coordinator Arshad Mahmood said Pakistan had ratified the International Labour Organization’s convention on the worst forms of child labour in 2001 but nothing practical had been done to make sure that children were protected from hazardous and exploitative work.
In the NWFP and Fata, children were being used for smuggling and drug trafficking on a large scale, he said.
He said some of the worst forms of child labour were found in brick kilns, mines and marble industry, which needed to be checked.
He lamented the delay in the establishment of borstal institutes in the province despite budgetary allocation for the purpose.
He said that although the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance had been extended to the provincially and federally administered tribal areas, its implementation was poor.
He said there were more than 35 children being held in prisons in the province the FCR. He said the inmates included 15 children and women of an alleged criminal’s family held under the collective responsibility clause of the FCR. He said children as young as of two years age had been convicted.
Senator Dr Mohammad Said said no law inconsistent with human rights could be allowed to operate in the tribal areas.
He said the rights of children in the tribal areas were violated because of misuse of the FCR. He welcomed the formation of a committee, led by Justice (retired) Ajmal Mian, on the FCR but said he was not sure whether its recommendations would be practically utilized.
Tracey Wagner Rizvi of Sparc said sexual exploitation of children was a serious issue which needed to be looked into thoroughly.
Azra Gul said corporal punishment was common at homes, schools and work places and it had been given cultural, social and religious acceptance.
MPA Dr Seemin Mehmood Jan said child labour in brick kilns was one of its worst forms.
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