The child protection units would be established at district level:Shumail Khawaja

Lahore : Sub-committee of the Cabinet Committee on Protection of Child Rights has completed its deliberations regarding action plan to revamp Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Punjab and the Divisional Child Protection Units at district level.

The sub-committee under the convenership of  Additional Chief Secretary Punjab Shamail Ahmad Khawaja met today at Civil Secretariat, Lahore and decided to send recommendations to the competent authority for constituting Child Rights Commission which would comprise of prominent religious scholars, representatives of well-reputed NGOs, senior officers from the relevant provincial departments and above all the elected representatives.

This commission, after its creation, will be responsible to constitute a comprehensive child protection policy and will independently monitor the juvenile case reporting and registration, investigation, prosecution, conviction in borstal jails.

Apart this the medical, rehabilitated, legal and social issues of the miners who are victims of domestic violence, child trafficking, child labour, child marriage and every kind of child abuse which include physical abuse, emotional abuse, sexual abuse, sexual exploitation, pornography, prostitution and neglect by step-parents or so-called guardians.

The sub-committee has also recommended to strengthen the child protection units at district level through establishment of child protection committees which would work as referral system for entry into Child Protection and Welfare Bureau.

These committees would also assist in advocacy and promoting awareness regarding child rights in the society. The sub-committee has proposed to prepare syllabi regarding child rights and the protection of child rights through police, judiciary, healthcare system, social welfare network and proper education.

All these issues would be incorporated in the syllabi of public as well as private schools and in the curriculum of teachers training institutes in the province. Regulations against pornography and public obscenity through enacting rules requiring the presence of appropriate adult in offenses involving children unless the parent or guardian is himself a suspect.

It has also been suggested that protecting the name of child victims and witnesses during investigation should also be ensured.

After formal approval of the Punjab Chief Minister Muhammad Shahbaz Sharif, 700 abandoned children kept in Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Lahore besides thousands of such innocent children would be provided better care and security. Furthermore, the society will also be motivated at larger scale to refrain from committing violence particularly on the minor domestic workers.