Protection of women, children rights: 'Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government to sign Istanbul Convention'

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Minister for Social Welfare, Sitara Ayaz on Thursday said that the provincial government is working along with Turkey and Iran and will sign on Istanbul Convention soon to take benefit of their experience in protection of the rights of women and children.
She expressed these views while addressing a Provincial Conference on 'child rights in post 18th Amendment; Challenges for Provincial Legislation' held under the auspices of the Society for the Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC) with Provincial Minister for Information, Mian Iftikhar Hussein in the chair. Others speakers included Farid Khattak, Deputy Director, Education Reforms Committee, Dr Tufail Mohammad Khan, chairman, Child Rights and Abuse Committee, Pakistan Pediatric Association and Dr Sarfaraz, chairman, Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar.
The provincial minister for social welfare and women development said that children are the future and hope of the country, adding provision of protection to the future is the top priority of the government. She said that Child Protection Bill was prepared in consultation with civil society.
The minister said that the Act was passed from the provincial assembly in 2010 and now they are preparing SOPs for the child residential facilities. She said that Bostel law has been passed from the assembly with the aim to provide better environment to children inside prisons.
Sitara Ayaz said that under Child Protection and Welfare Act, Child Protection Units have been established in eight districts and now it would be extended to all districts of the province. She said that a study for provision of education facilities to children is in progress.
He said that an education plan has been prepared and now they are stressing on data collection to give practical shape to a plan that will bring positive results in future. She said that the provincial government is also working to abolish corporal punishments in school with the implementation of Child Protection Law in the province and paying full attention to the resolution of the problems of children and women.
On behalf of the Education Reforms Committee, Deputy Director, Farid Khattak said that the provision of education facilities is the top priority of the provincial government and out of school children are being enrolled through public-private partnership.
He said that special District Steering Committees with District Co-ordination Officers (DCOs) have been established with officials of social welfare, health, finance, education and representatives of civil society to hold at least one meeting a month and send report to Secretary Education. He said that the provincial government reviewed progress in education sector after the passage of each two months.
Dr Sarfaraz, chairman, Area Study Centre, University of Peshawar stressed need for strengthening public sector schools and their establishment in accessible areas to provide quality education at the door step of the children. He said that in past the syllabus of the children education was used for turning them into Jehadis and they were intentionally kept away from the learning of skills. He was of the view that new way outs could be easily found out with joint efforts.
Dr Tufail Mohammad Khan, chairman, Child Rights and Abuse Committee, Pakistan Paediatric Association said that about 3.6 children born annually in Pakistan while mortality ratio in KP is highest in the country. He said that out of 1,000 children 41 dies within 40-day of their birth and 25 children dies of preventable diseases.
Similarly, he said that 33 per cent children are under weight and 43 per cent remain standstill, which makes a very lethal combination and bear negative impact on both education and mmental growth of the children He also stressed on the promotion the culture of breast feeding in the women to help arrest the malnutrition problem in children. He lamented that in urban areas only 33 per cent women breast feed their children. He said that due to growing population, the country is facing shortage in immunisation vaccines and we are unable even in the abolition of polio from the country.