PESHAWAR, Jan 19: Mr Justice Peter Singer, a judge of the Family Division of the High Court, London, on Wednesday urged lawyers and media to raise awareness about the UK-Pakistan Protocol on Child Abduction to effectively deal with the issue of illegal removal of children from both countries in an effective manner.

Addressing a Press conference here, Justice Singer stated that the main hurdle in the implementation of the protocol was lack of awareness about this agreement signed by judiciary of both the countries two years ago.

The head of Child Abduction Section of the Consular Directorate, London, Mr Tony Clemson, who flanked Justice Singer, said that since the signing of the protocol his section had dealt with 30 cases of abduction to Pakistan, of which 12 cases had fallen strictly within the protocol.

"The return of children to England from Pakistan has been achieved in seven cases and other five cases await resolution," he added. Mr Clemson said believed that the actual number of children would be much higher than that of reported cases.

Justice Singer and a solicitor specialising in child abduction and forced marriages, Anne Marie Hutchinson, are at present on a two-week tour of Pakistan. They are accompanied by officials from the Child Abduction Section of the Human Rights Team at the Foreign Office, London.

Mr Singer said that in January and September 2003, judicial conferences were held in London and Islamabad, and an agreement was signed which reflected shared principles and history of child care law of the two nations.

"In the context of the relatively frequent removal from Britain to Pakistan, and to some lesser extent in the other directions, of children whose families have come under strain or whose parents' relationship is at an end, the two groups of judges agreed that in ordinary cases a child brought from one country to the other without the agreement of both the parents should be returned as quickly as possible to the country where the child was ordinarily resident," Justice Singer stated.

He said that this should normally be the desired result, and would be in the child's best welfare interest, without regard to the nationality, culture or religion of the parents or of either parent. The two countries appointed liaison judge for the purpose of protocol. The liasion judges in Pakistan is Justice Faqir Khokar of the Supreme Court.

Hutchison said: "Many times the parents are not aware about the protocol and they believe that they have no remedy available in cases of illegal removal of children to another country." She added that they needed the help of different segments of society, including Bars and the media, so as to collect a proper data about such cases.

Justice Singer stated that steps were to be taken to increase awareness that the courts in the country to which the child was removed or where a child was retained after conclusion of a visit, would react promptly and robustly by ordering the child's speedy return so that disputes between the parents could be resolved in the courts best suited to do so, those of the country where the child had a settled home.

Earlier, the delegation visited the Judicial Complex. The visitors attended a meeting with the Peshawar District and Sessions Judge, Hayat Ali Shah, additional sessions judges and civil judges-cum-judicial magistrates and discussed various aspects of the protocol.

They were received at the complex by the Peshawar High Court's Chief Justice Nasirul Mulk. Members of the delegation went around different courts and spent some time in the family court. They inquired from the presiding officer, Ms Sadaf Gul, about the applicability of the protocol and appreciated that the judicial officers knew about it.