QUETTA - The Society for Empowering Human Resource’s 3-month signature campaign revealed that 47 per cent of children do not have access to education and one million children have never attended any school in Balochistan.
At the concluding session of the campaign, the SEHR organisation demanded the government formulate laws against physical punishment of children and approve bill over child labour, adolescent prisoners’ rehabilitation and general welfare of children.
Addressing a news conference at the Press Club here on Thursday, SEHR members Nusrat Javed and Ghazala Gulzar said that after the 18th Amendment, it is the responsibility of the all four province to formulate laws for the protection of the rights of children, but unfortunately Balochistan has not formulated any laws in this regard so far. They added that children in Balochistan are subjected to physical and sexual abuse; and poverty and ignorance are responsible for all this.
They said that only in Quetta around 10 to 11 thousand children toiled and out of which 60 per cent children are the garbage scavengers. They said that from 100 to 200 cases have been reported regarding sexual abuse of children, adding that only 10 per cent children acquire education up to matric and one million children have never attended the school. They said that around 12,000 schools are required by this time in Quetta according to an estimate. They demanded the Balochistan government legislate for the protection of the rights of children and ensure their basic rights.