KARACHI, Jan 12: A private charity striving for children rights has expressed concern over the growing incidents of extrajudicial treatment by the police towards the most vulnerable segment of society – the children.

In its annual report, the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child said extrajudicial treatment towards criminals at the hands of the police was a regular practice as the department was proficient in justifying the offence. “However until recently children have once again become targets of such offence,” it said.

The report said the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 comprehensively addressed the issue and provided full protection to a child wherein referred to as a person under the age of 15 years and advocated exclusive treatment for juveniles, if ever found guilty. But, the reality was much different, it added.

According to the report, such an incident occurred in the premises of Tando Masti police station, District Khairpur where police reported that the six-year-old boy, Majeed, was a dacoit and an absconder. It also obtained orders from the court to arrest the child.

Sher Ali Chandio, the father of the ‘dacoit-cum-absconder’ registered his complaint with officials including the home minister who took it as ineptitude and malpractice on the part of the police. Sher Ali later appeared before the court along with Majeed for bail.

In another incident, police raided the house of Haleem, 14, who refused to work for a local landlord in Dadu.

Police beat the child and left him outside his house in critical condition.

Police in Khorwah town in District Thatta raided a house pretending to arrest two people alleged to be involved in some crime but ended up arresting eight-year-old Asghar declaring him as an accomplice of the absconding criminals.

Eleven-year-old Kamran was kept into illegal confinement by the police in Kandiaro town accusing him of theft. It was reported that police also asked for bribe in order to release the child. This was reported on December 2, 2006.

The last incident of such nature was reported on December 20 last year as police showed no mercy and opened fire during a raid in Lyari resulting in the death of four-year-old Marium.

The charity’s regional manager (Sindh) Akhtar Baloch told Dawn that such incidents were occurring in total violation of the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, which clearly gives specific directions about how to take action against a child under the age of 15 years if some concrete evidence was found against him.

“And this law clearly makes a non-bail-able offence a bail-able one if the accused is a minor child,” said Mr Baloch.

He said the government should enforce its own law to its true spirit so that children could be protected from such menacing acts in future.