ISLAMABAD-Students of twin cities on Tuesday held a walk while demanding the government to ensure child rights under the recommendations of the UN and to improve labour inspection system for the betterment of the country. Rights group Tiflee Education Pakistan demanded effective measures to implement children-specific laws enacted in the country. The walk was organized by Tiflee Education Pakistan to highlight the rights of children on World Children’s Day, 20 November 2018. World’s youngest Professor Zidane Hamid and Zonal Head Tiflee Education Abdus Salam led the walk. Students from different schools of Rawalpindi/Islamabad along with their teachers, civil society members and people from different walks of life participated in the walk. They were holding banners and placards to highlight the rights of children. Professor Zidane Hamid addressed the participants of the walk. Zidane demanded a structured and strengthened coordination among relevant government departments which are key stakeholders in promotion and protection of children’s rights to get positive results of programmes initiated by different government departments. 

He said that the main problem faced by children in Pakistan is poverty as 24% of the Pakistani population lives below the poverty line. This problem mainly affects people living in rural areas. The first victims of poverty are children, the weakest and most vulnerable, who see a complete deprivation of their rights: a lack of education, poor access to health services, discrimination, etc. Right to Health in Pakistan, close to one child in six dies before the age of five. The nutritional status of children is very poor: 35% of them are underweight; more than 50% suffer from stunted growth, and around 9% from emaciation. Each day, around 1,100 Pakistani children under five years of age die from diarrhea and illnesses related to water, sanitation, and hygiene. Access to care is a challenge in rural areas where many families simply can’t afford basic healthcare. Furthermore, recurring natural disasters have a strong impact on the health of people as well as on the infrastructure of the disaster stricken areas.

He added that the socio-economic situation of the country is disastrous and forces families to make their children work. There are around 11 million children performing domestic tasks and working in agriculture. Other children work in the textile industry (specifically, making carpets), construction, or even in the automotive industry. Children in carpet factories sometimes work up to 20 hours a day, 7 days a week. Very often, sleeping, eating, and working are all done in the same place. This puts a considerable strain on their health; they work in very cramped conditions and in places detrimental to their health.

Zonal Head Tiflee Education Abdus Salam said that free and compulsory education is the right of every child, but only 71% of children attend primary school in Pakistan.

This means that 23 million children are deprived of education. Furthermore, the attendance rate for education is higher among boys than girls. The government only allocates 1.8% of its national budget to education, which is clearly insufficient considering the need.

The difficulties of public education are numerous: economic constraints, dilapidated or even dangerous buildings, lack of toilets, chairs, tables, recurring humanitarian crises etc. Furthermore, teachers are very under-qualified, and it is not uncommon for children to leave school without knowing how to read or write. This is the case for almost 50% of school-going children ages 6 to 16 in Pakistan.

He added that street children are facing poverty, physical and mental abuse, negligence, and family problems which are the major factors that lead children to take refuge in the streets. There is a troubling increase in t he cases of abuse, kidnapping, and violence towards children in Pakistan.

He urged the media to support child rights campaigns and demanded the government to include child laws in the curricula at every school, college and university across the country. He also highlighted that Pakistan is a key stakeholder in the regional action plan for prevention and elimination of child labour to end violence against children.

He added that UN Human Rights Committee had urged Pakistan to take measures to end child labour by enforcing laws. They also directed to especially focus on and strengthen labour inspection mechanisms in the country. He regretted that no concrete steps were introduced to curb domestic child labour. He said although there were several effective laws but the government was not taking interest in their implementation. He demanded the government to ensure child rights under the recommendations of the UN and improve labour inspection system for the betterment of the country.