PESHAWAR, Sept 5: Participants of a consultative workshop here on Monday underlined the need for collective efforts and coordination between government departments and civil society for protection of the rights of children in Pakistan.

The one-day workshop was second of its nature; the first was held at Islamabad last week. The aim of these workshops is to seek opinions, suggestions and guidelines from different stakeholders working to put in place a strategy for protection of the rights of children.

The strategy would be introduced by Save the Children, UK, for next five years in the NWFP and adjacent tribal areas.

The workshop was attended by representatives of the provincial government, local NGOs, academia, and others. Prominent amongst them were provincial chief of Unicef Osama Makkawi, Prof Rahat Sajjad, Dr Perveen Azam Khan, Meraj Hamayun Khan, Ijaz Qasim and director labour department Arshad Mehmood.

Representatives of NGOs Khwendo Kor and Sach presented case studies on corporal punishment in schools and child right scenario at the General Bus Stand Peshawar.

The participants were shown a short documentary portraying issues around child rights and their vulnerability to abuse and neglect within the society. They held discussion on children in four thematic areas of education, rights and protection, health and emergencies.

The speakers also highlighted child-rights situation in Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) and urged the government to make more efforts to improve the situation.

The groups discussed prevailing anomalies in programmes for child rights in the country and suggested useful ways to remove lacunas. The discussions were aimed at building better synergies with the government by both Save the Children UK Pakistan and civil organisations.

The discussions provided basis for a comprehensive program towards achieving more effectively the national objectives in terms of child rights in the country.

The next of the series of consultation workshops will be held in Karachi, Lahore and Quetta during the current month. A strategy suggested by these workshops will be launched in November this year for the period between 2006 and 2011.