KARACHI, April 22: Speakers at a seminar on ‘Child rights and advocacy’ held at the YMCA Hall on Sunday laid emphasis on the importance of ‘advocacy’ and its effective implementation in the society
The workshop, organised by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) was primarily aimed at promoting the concept of ‘advocacy’ in particular relation to child rights issues.
The programme was facilitated by the Sparc board member Advocate Anis Jilani, SPO Regional Head Sindh Ghulam Mustafa Baloch, political analyst Dr Mutahir Hussain Shaikh, international affairs’ expert Dr Naeem, psychologist Dr Zakir Shoaib, Sparc regional manager Sindh Akhtar Hussain Baloch and protection manager Sparc Sindh Kashif Bajir. At least 40 child rights activists and campaigners from across the province participated in the workshop.
Mr Jilani said despite Pakistan's ratification of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child in November 1990, the situation of children remained precarious. He cited official sources that 3.3 million children between five and 14 years of age were working in Pakistan. “We estimate that more than eight million in this age group are working”, he said.
He said there were only three juvenile prisons in Pakistan. “Situation relating to children remains ignored and few laws exist in Sindh and the Punjab while no laws relating to child rights prevail in Balochistan and the NWFP”, he said. Mr Jilani urged the child rights campaigners to play their due role to protect and promote the rights of the child.
Ghulam Mustafa Baloch said a child-friendly environment was achievable only through proper ‘advocacy’. He stressed the need for the establishment of a civil society through effective ‘advocacy’ which would be respectful to human rights.
A presentation was given on the concept and techniques of advocacy stressing advocacy as a set of targeted actions directed by decision makers in support of specific policy issues for helping socially excluded people to access services.
Dr Sheikh said international terrorism and religious fundamentalism were potential threats to child rights as well as basic human rights. Thousands of innocent people including children and women have been killed in the name of religion, he added saying that ironically, the so-called war against terror, verbally aimed at the protection of humanity, was more threatening to human rights than anything else.
Other speakers agreed that growing religious extremism was a major threat to child rights and the world community should rush to implement the international instruments in the protection of child rights to save the world from destruction.
Dr Zakir Shoaib briefed the audience about the background and importance of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) while Akhtar Baloch told the participants that how they could campaign effectively for the protection of child rights.
