The provincial government of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Wednesday launched Child Protection Emergency Strategy (CPES) for provision protection to children during natural calamities and manmade disasters in the province. The strategy was launched in a high level meeting held Wednesday. Rehaam Khan, the spouse of PTI chief Imran Khan and officials from Provincial Disaster Management Authority (PDMA), Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and line departments, representatives from national and international humanitarian organisation attended the meeting.
Speaking on the occasion, she said that the lack of investments on securing the wellbeing of children, from all forms of violence, neglect, exploitation and abuse and the impacts of disasters and poverty has many-fold future repercussions both for the children, at their adulthood, the families, the nations and the world, at large. Tariq Rasheed, Secretary Relief Rehabilitation & Settlement Department said that Provincial Disaster Management Authority, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa has successfully developed its Child Protection in Emergencies Strategy. Ensuring protection of children in emergencies is a vital area where government and non-government actors together need to work for effective planning and designing interventions for safe guarding children. He said that he wanted to assure his support to assist in carrying out of this strategy in letter and spirit.
He said it is responsibility of the state to ensure protection of children with a wide approach and by involving different sectors and actors. He said that he was confident that the strategic priority areas in this document will assist PDMA and related stakeholders in contributing towards to needs of children in all phases of emergencies and formulating better response preparation.
He expressed gratitude to all those who had contributed in the formulation of this important document and look ahead to a shared work for achieving the determined goals. Amer Afaq, Director General, PDMA said, Child protection in emergencies is a very important aspect of disaster management. He said that children are vulnerable and need special response, relief and rehabilitation strategies and care.
He said that timely planning and accurate response reduces the risk to vulnerable population. The child protection strategy, he said will help in directional approach and strengthening the commitment of all state and non-state actors. In the strategy, he said that four strategic priority areas have been identified and steps defined in the strategy will assist PDMA in effective planning and response mechanisms for safeguarding children. I thank all who contributed in this process and look forward for collaborative work in carrying out the planned actions.
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