ISLAMABAD: The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has concluded its periodic review on the implementation of the Convention on the Rights of the Child in Pakistan, and took a positive note of the progress made in strengthening the policy and legislative framework in the country.

The committee concluded the review on Thursday in Geneva and raised concerns about the lack of harmonisation of the laws with the provisions of the Convention on the Rights of the Child, an inconsistent and conflicting definition of the child throughout the legislation and across provinces.

The committee’s experts expressed concerns about regression in the protection of the rights of the child caused by the introduction of new laws, in particular the Anti-Terrorism Act, which affected the definition of the child.

The passage of the 18th Amendment had led to huge differences in the level of protection of children and growing disparities between provinces and territories. Girls continued to face systematic and institutionalised discrimination and gender-based violence; children from minorities, and children with disabilities were often denied access to health and education.

Experts discussed the death penalty which is legal in Pakistan and the execution of five minors in 2015. They appealed to the government to pardon children on death row, commute their sentences and ensure that children tried on charges of terrorism were tried by juvenile courts.

They were alarmed by the impact of sectarian violence and terrorism on children, and by reports of torture and ill-treatment of children in police custody.

They welcomed the introduction of free and compulsory education for children aged five to 16 and inquired about the resources to fund this commitment, particularly as in some provinces the primary school completion rates were as low as 41 per cent.

The experts also discussed polio and what steps were being taken to eradicate the virus.

Clarence Nelson, a member of the committee and co-rapporteur for the Pakistan report, recognised the areas of progress and said that he hoped the concluding observations would contribute to the betterment of the situation of children in Pakistan.

Zarafullah Khan, special assistant to the prime minister for law, introduced the periodic report to the committee and said that despite challenges ranging from terrorism to resource constraints, a wide range of legislative, policy and administrative measures had been taken to guarantee the realisation of all the rights of all children, including the adoption of the 18th Amendment in 2010 that devolved the matter of child rights to the provinces.

The committee’s vice chairperson and rapporteur for the report of Pakistan, Yasmeen Muhammad Shariff, said that many of the national and provincial laws had not been harmonised with the convention.

Many federal laws aiming to improve children’s rights had not been retained by provincial governments after devolution, while some bills, such as the anti-terrorism bill, had regressed the protection of children’s rights, for example in the matter of the definition of a child, she added.

In terms of budgetary resources, Ms Shariff asked about the total budget for children, a systematic tracking system to track child-focused expenses, and noted that often, allocations did not match the expenditures, and budgets for children were often underutilised.

The committee inquired about reports of torture and ill-treatment of children in police custody and the delegation was asked about such cases, and who was conducting investigations and prosecutions. They asked about the status of the Bill on Torture and Custodial Death which was introduced four years ago.

Mr Khan said that Pakistan was mindful of its international and constitutional obligations. He added that they would focus on the issues raised by the experts in the discussion.

Published in Dawn, May 28th, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Afghan turbulence
Updated 19 Mar, 2024

Afghan turbulence

RELATIONS between the newly formed government and Afghanistan’s de facto Taliban rulers have begun on an...
In disarray
19 Mar, 2024

In disarray

IT is clear that there is some bad blood within the PTI’s ranks. Ever since the PTI lost a key battle over ...
Festering wound
19 Mar, 2024

Festering wound

PROTESTS unfolded once more in Gwadar, this time against the alleged enforced disappearances of two young men, who...
Defining extremism
Updated 18 Mar, 2024

Defining extremism

Redefining extremism may well be the first step to clamping down on advocacy for Palestine.
Climate in focus
18 Mar, 2024

Climate in focus

IN a welcome order by the Supreme Court, the new government has been tasked with providing a report on actions taken...
Growing rabies concern
18 Mar, 2024

Growing rabies concern

DOG-BITE is an old problem in Pakistan. Amid a surfeit of public health challenges, rabies now seems poised to ...