By Gulranga Ali
In 1990 Pakistan ratified the United Nation Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC) and its optional Protocol on Sale of Children, Child Prostitution and Child Pornography in 2011. Furthermore under the domestic law of Pakistan we have several Acts along with the National Commission on the Rights of Child Act 2015 to enforce the rights of children in country.
Today, while checking up social websites or watching news, one can find child rights violation o daily basis. Of which the most common are those in which children are victimized of brutality, inhumanity, barbarism and beyond all victimized of human curse.
Owing to the present situation in our country regarding violation of children rights, it shows that not only general public but the government institutions are also equally responsible in child rights violations.
According to daily Shamal, a local newspaper, a shopkeeper identified as Rafique Ahmad, sexually abused a seven years old Imdadullah in Mingora yesterday.
The newspaper claimed that the young Imdadullah wanted to buy some sweets who had not expected such an abusive fate.
In Gujranwala and influential owner unleashed dogs on a four years old girl as a punishment on a minor dispute between children.
The small girl who was daughter of a poor labourer got punishment but the influential escaped of any punishment despite he openly violated child rights and other laws of the country. Both the victims’ families might have waited for justice from the government’s institutions but Alas!
In another case a minor girl identified as Tayyeba who was working in the house of a judge was mentally and physically tortured by a judge’s wife.
In our country, on daily basis, some children become victim of brutality; others of curse, some of violence while many others of ill treatment.
Above cited are the only three examples which were highlighted among thousands of other cases that occur regularly. Majority of poor children in our society sacrificed their childhood plesures and due rights for contributing in their families livelihood.
Shops and playgrounds that are the favorite places of kids are places of curse, brutality and inhumanity for them.
Pakistan is one of the worst places for children to have peaceful and safe environment.
According to UNCRC report 2015, Pakistan has not improved notably in the last 25 years since it ratified the Convention on the Rights of Child CRC in 1990. As a result, the National Commission on the Rights of Child Act 2015 emerged in order to improve and implement special laws and rights of children in the country. However no change or improvement could be felt yet.
The National Commission on the Rights of Child Act 2015 was created just to avoid the international obligations as it would result in non-performance of laws stated in the convention.
In the UN CRC children are given special rights but in Pakistan they are not even given the right to life, security, and protection.
