Over 40,000 street children in Lahore

Speakers at a seminar have called for creating awareness among the people to check the rising trend among children who are leaving their homes mainly on account of family violence and poverty.
An awareness seminar on the topic of 'key stakeholders' role in protecting street children' was jointly organised by Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) and NGO-Pahchaan (Protection and Help of Children Against Abuse and Neglect) at a local hotel on Tuesday.
The representatives from local NGOs, government agencies, town councillors, nazims, media persons, advocates, doctors, Pahchaan volunteers and social workers attended the seminar.
The main purpose of the seminar was to create awareness among stakeholders ie policemen, local government representatives, legal agencies and employers to cooperate in rehabilitation and rescue of street children. Highlighting the gruesome facts Executive Director NGO-Pahchaan Sarah Asad said that mostly these children are found as child labourers, beggars, massage workers, or helpers at auto workshops, tea stalls and roadside hotels.
Focusing on the problem of street children in Lahore, she maintained that there are over 40,000 street children in Lahore who are spending miserable life due to various threats posed by anti-social elements. She disclosed that her NGO had already set up drop-in centre where street children are being imparted non-formal education, religious education and skill based education. 'We are going to establish more 'drop in' centres for such children in different locations in the provincial metropolis.
Speaking on the occasion, Dr Naeem Zafar, focal person of PPA Punjab said that the children facing family violence are more likely to develop social, emotional, psychological and behavioural problems while those who witness domestic violence show more anxiety, low self esteem, depression, anger and temperament problems.
He was of the view that society should play its due role to tackle the problem so that future of these children could be secured. He stated that street children are causing spread of AIDs and other serious ailments. Most of the street children are drug users who are exposing them for serious health problems.