ISLAMABAD: Pak­istan has reaffirmed its commitment to protecting children’s rights and eradicating violence against children, as a delegation represented the country at the inaugural Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children (VAC).

The delegation was led by Ayesha Raza Farooq, chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC), and Sarah Ahmad, chairperson of the Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB) Punjab.

The conference, held in Bogota, Colombia, was attended by representatives from 143 countries alongside global leaders, child rights organisations and United Nations bodies to address the urgent global challenge of ending violence against children.

At the historic gathering, Ms Farooq presented Pakistan’s commitment to advancing child protection measures, emphasising the government of Pakistan’s commitment to ensuring every child is safe from all forms of violence.

“I make this pledge on behalf of children of our country, Pakistan, to ensure that every child is safe from all forms of violence in all contexts through strengthening and expanding integrated child protection services by 2027,” she said in her address.

Additionally, the government will focus on building a child-sensitive and gender-responsive workforce capable of providing equitable, necessary and timely support to children in need while ensuring that responsive services are accessible and effective across all provinces and territories.

The event, hosted by the government of Colombia in collaboration with Sweden, WHO and Unicef, aimed to establish a new global declaration focused on protecting children from all forms of violence.

Published in Dawn, November 10th, 2024