April 19, 2006	Wednesday	Rabi-ul-Awwal 20, 1427

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PESHAWAR, April 18: About 2,019 juvenile offenders are in prisons across the country and judiciary can play a proactive role in upholding rights of individuals, speakers said at a workshop here on Tuesday.

The principal of the Lahore-based Central Jail Staff Training Institute, Mr Masood Khan, said at the two-day workshop that most of the prisons in the country were under-staffed.

He said there were only 1,459 employees working in 90 jails where 94,000 prisoners were serving terms. He said there were eight girls in 2,019 juvenile offenders.

“According to international standards, the detention of juveniles shall be as the last resort and for minimum necessary period,” he said at the workshop organised by the directorate of human rights, ministry of law, on ‘Protection and promotion of human rights in Pakistan’.

A former Peshawar High Court judge, Justice (retd) Jawed Nawaz Gandapur, who was chief guest on the occasion, said that judiciary should play a proactive role in implementation of laws and upholding rights of individuals.

He said the situation had been worsening owing to non-implementation of laws.

Referring to the ban on wedding meals, Justice Gandapur said that even the Supreme Court judgment on the issue had been violated.

In his speech, Charsadda district police officer Fasihuddin Khan said there was no accurate data available about child abuse cases, adding that being a taboo topic sex was discussed only rarely.

“Collection of evidence on scientific grounds is essential,” Mr Fasihuddin said.

He pointed out that most cases lacked proper medical examination which went in favour of perpetrators of such offences.

He said the police department had been under-staffed and lacked proper equipment.

The civil judge-cum-judicial magistrate at Shabqadar, Amjid Zia Siddiqui, the resident director of Aurat Foundation, Rakhshanda Naz, and Aneela Qamar of Khwendo Kor also spoke.