KARACHI, Nov 15: Over 388 cases of child rights violation have been reported in Sindh between Jan 1 and August 11, says a report prepared by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC).

The SPARC report points out that though there are over 27 laws pertaining to children in the country, the institutions concerned have failed miserably to implement these laws owing to which incidents involving child abuse continue unabated.

The report said 80 children, including 30 females, were kidnapped in different parts of the province. At least 23 children, including 12 females, committed suicides, while 17 others, some 11 of them being girls, attempted suicides.

It says 43 children, including 20 girls, were murdered whereas six other girls were also killed in the name of karo kari. At least 63 children, 26 of them being females, were sexually abused during the period in Sindh.

Out of the nine jirgas held, eight had passed orders against the girls. The reports says that though the Sindh High Court had ordered a ban on holding of jirgas, the decision is rarely implemented by the law enforcement agencies and the jirgas are being held regularly and at least 53 were organized between January and June 2006, and some of these had been held with the chief minister, ministers and parliamentarians presiding over these.

The report also highlights a case of police insensitivity and says that a six-year old boy Majeed was shown as a dacoit and an absconder by Tando Masti Police (Khairpur district), and it also obtained arrest warrants form the court in August.

The report also says an eight-year-old boy Asghar was arrested by the Khorwa police near Fazil Rahu in Thatta district. The police had raided the house to arrest two criminals, but on not finding them arrested the child as an accomplice.

The report has also highlighted the case of untreated disposal of toxic waste by the irresponsible industrialists in SITE. It says an eight-year-old Iftikhar and 10-year old Siddique were severely burnt while playing at an open ground where some toxic chemical waste had been thrown in. Iftikhar died at the hospital and both legs of Siddique, who was in a critical condition, had to be amputated.

The report also says that at least 79 cases of death of children owing to various reasons including drowning, electrocution, wall / houses collapse, snake biting, toxicity etc were reported during this period and 25 of them were girls.