NewsMonday, February 19, 2007
Society for Protection of Rights of Children report: Findings show dismal state of children in country* 50,000 children live on streets, 22 million out of school
By Mohammad Kamran
ISLAMABAD: Child rights groups have estimated that over 50,000 children live on the streets of Pakistan, while most of the juvenile population continues to be vulnerable to bonded labour, harassment, sexual abuse and trafficking, and lacks access to health, education and other basic needs.
Many street children are also addicted to drugs and have been sexually assaulted. It has been reported that 56 percent of street children run away from their homes due to domestic violence, 22 percent because of hostile behaviour of their parents and 12 percent due to their parents’ drug addiction.
The Society for Protection of Rights of Children (SPARC) has also reported that children leave their homes because of poverty, corporal punishment at home and school and sexual abuse. These children are also prone to road injuries since many of them end up begging or picking pockets.
Non-governmental organisation Save the Children reported that 22 million or over 50 percent of the 40 million children in the age group of 5 to 14 years in Pakistan were not in school. Some had never attended school while others dropped out before completing their primary level. The annual report of the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF) on the state of world children rated Pakistan at 47th place among 157 countries in terms of basic indicators for child welfare for the year 2007.
UNICEF has also stated that 500,000 children died in Pakistan in 2006 before reaching the age of five years. Another report by Save the Children reported that out of every 100 children born, nine would die before their first birthday. It also reported that one-thirds of the children in Pakistan lived in abject poverty.
The government, in its last ‘Economic Survey of Pakistan’, acknowledged that the country lagged well behind other countries in the region with respect to indicators on the situation of children.
According to data compiled by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP), at least 500 cases of violence against children were reported in 2006, including kidnapping for ransom. In its 2006 report, Sahil, an NGO working for the rights of children, stated that in the first six months of the year, some 1,164 children had been sexually abused. From among these victims, 213 girls had been subjected to gang rape. Of the 1,164 reported cases, some 849 victims were girls and 315 boys. Over 50 percent of the accusers were acquaintances of the victims.
Although Pakistan ratified ILO Convention 182 on the ‘Worst Forms of Child Labour’ in 2001, children continue to be employed in all sectors. In most cases they are forced to work due to the financial needs of their families.
The Federal Bureau of Statistics (FBS) has indicated that 25 percent of the total labour force of Pakistan, which number over 50 million, is aged between 10 and 19 years.
The Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) says that there are a total of 70 million children in the country and 25 million of them are engaged in labour.
Children affected by poverty were the most vulnerable to being trafficked within or outside the country. The rights organisations have urged the government to prioritise the rights of children and comply with international conventions. The HRCP has also called for policy guidelines on responses to complaints about the abuse of children.
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk