Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection Commission to become operational next month

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) Minister for Social Welfare, Sitara Ayaz on Wednesday said that a Child Protection Commission comprising representatives of the members of the provincial legislature, lawyers and civil society would become functional next month.
In her inaugural speech in a two-day Capacity Building Workshop on Child Rights jointly organised under the auspices of the Child Complaint Office, Federal Ombudsman in collaboration with a Sahil, a non-governmental organisation, she announced that the calendar year 2011 would be observed as Child Protection year in the province.
Others who spoke were included Head of the Child Complaint Office (CCO) and Advisor to Ombudsman Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi, Investigation Officer (CCO), Mansoor Ahmad, Chief Executive, CRLC, Qindeel Shujaat, Dr Tufail Mohammad of Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) and Yousuf Ahmad, Member Child Parliament of Pakistan. The provincial minister said that the government had taken number of initiatives to address gaps and obstacles in the implementation of laws through collective approaches. She said that the newly established office of the Provincial Ombudsman would play vital role in this regard.
She said they will not revisit the errors and mistakes indicated at by Punjab and Sindh levels. The government would be enabled for proper operation of the commission to address child issues and reunification of children with their families, she added.
Sitara Ayaz said that the initiative would be started from the street children and after their custody and would be re-united with their families. But, in case of the again indulgence of the child in the same activity their parents would face penalty.
She said that an inter provincial commission on child would also constituted to review the child protection laws of other provinces to their good things. In the meeting of the said commission, she said the representatives of federal and ombudsman would also be called to play their due role in particularly implementation of the child protected related laws and find resolution to the problems.
The other speakers called for strengthening of social welfare and protection systems and demanded the centralise welfare funds to easily disburse among deserving and poor people of the country to bring an end to the menace of Child Labour in the country. Highlighting the work and function of the CCO of Federal Ombudsman Office, Ejaz Ahmad Qureshi said that complaints were registered through simple application and ease procedure. Number of case registered and addressed with short span of time, he explained.
Mansoor Ahmad, advisor/Investigation officer, CCO gave a detailed presentation regarding laws and regulations. He said that there was lack of co-ordination and gaps between different federal level agencies last year. The religious and traditional values are major irritants before the implementation of laws and regulations, he maintained. He said that the relevant ministries had been turned different proposal and recommendations due to religious and traditional taboos. He expressed the all irritants and obstacle would be resolved following completion of devolution process under the passage of 18th and 19th amendments. He said the social welfare and protection system is very poor in the country, adding the problems and issues of children will intact till strengthening of the system.
Dr Tufail Mohammad, Pakistan Paediatric Association, in his presentation indicated that 80 percent children are abused by their relatives, neighbours, and close aides. Similarly, he said about 11 percent children were killed by the abusers due to fears and different factors. He said the government had allocated just one percent of the GDP for social protection in the country, as compared to develop states, where allocation of the sector is about 12 to 13 percent.