KARACHI, Sept 8: Surge in unchecked programmes showing violence, smut and obscenity through varied TV channels was observed to be jeopardizing mental and physical health of a significant majority of the local children.

This was observed at a consultative meeting on commercial exploitation of children, held at the paediatrics department of Civil Hospital here on Wednesday. A group of doctors, media professionals, researchers and human rights activists attended the meeting.

They said that the trend besides poverty and ignorance was enhancing vulnerability of many of the local kids to varied forms of abuse. Acknowledging that street children as well as those compelled to indulge in petty jobs to supplement their family earnings were the major victims of varied categories of exploitation, the participants of the meeting registered with deep concern the inability of parents and concerned segments to effectively counter the media portrayal of sex transmitted via varied channels.

The scenario was cited to be casting extremely negative impact on the intellect as well as emotional faculties of the children, particularly adolescents who were largely denied of healthy modes of recreation.

The doctors and researchers stressed that children and youth could be protected from growing sexually transmitted diseases if they were imparted proper and more objective sex education.

They deplored the health seeking behaviours of sexually exploited children and said that being largely unaware of the repercussions of their plight, such children did not seek help and were often found to be at high risk of different sexually transmitted diseases.

They also felt urgent need to create public awareness and effective interventions to help children being sexually exploitation in specific parts of the country under the garb of traditions and cultural practices.

Dr Aisha Mehnaz of the Pakistan Paediatric Association's Child Rights Committee conducted the proceedings of the programme. Among others, the meeting was attended by Dr Habiba Hasan, Dr Fehmida Arif of Dow University of Health Sciences, Dr Tahira Saeed, Dr Mohammad Siddiq Nuhani, Dr Kamran Mashadi, Farah Iqbal and Amjad Rasul of Azad Foundation. -APP