ISLAMABAD, Sept 2: The National Commission for Child Welfare and Development (NCCWD) has decided to set up a child protection centre in the federal capital for the welfare of deserving and needy children.

The main objective of the project is to provide shelter home services for runaway, street, lost and kidnapped children; while legal aid and helpline services will be also extended to the child victims of violence, official sources told APP here on Saturday.

The sources said the project would be completed at a cost of Rs8 million, adding that Rs3 million had been released by the Planning Commission in this regard.

They said the NCCWD, a working body of the Ministry of Social Welfare and Special Education, was committed to introducing a child protection law for providing a protective environment to children so that they could grow to their potential without the fear of violence, abuse and exploitation.

“A draft child protection bill has been prepared through a consultative process that envisages protection of the rights of the children in accordance with international standards across the country,” they added.

We held a consultative meeting with wide variety of stakeholders including parliamentarians and international donor agencies on the need for a child protection law last year and the draft of this law was prepared, they said.