Balochistan Assembly Speaker Rahila Durrani Tuesday emphasised the need for taking all measures to protect the children from exploitation, violence or any other forms of abuse in the country. Addressing to concluding ceremony of a two days Consultation to Build Consensus on the Balochistan Child Protection Bill, 2015, Speaker Balochistan Assembly Rahila Durrani said the provincial government will take all measures to protect the children from all kind of exploitation.
Legal consultant for Ministry of Human Rights, Sharafat A Chaudhry who has already assisted the Federal Government to draft ICT Child Protection Bill, 2016, was invited to share the experience, facilitate the legislative drafting session and to provide technical support for finalising this Bill. The Balochistan Child Protection Bill 2015 aims to provide for the protection of children in Balochistan from all forms of physical or mental violence, injury, neglect or negligent treatment, maltreatment or exploitation, including sexual abuse.
The Bill provides for establishment of a Child Protection Advisory Board within the Social Welfare, Special Education, Literacy, Non-formal Education and Human Rights Department for providing vision, policy guidelines, appropriate strategies for child protection, analysis of trends and adjusting policies and measures for protection of children.
The Bill also envisages establishing a Child Protection Bureau within the Social Welfare Department for receiving, co-ordinating, formally referring, managing, and monitoring reported cases of child abuse in the province. The Bill provides policy guidelines for the full and harmonious development of a child's personality, a child should preferably grow up in a family social structure and environment, Sharafat said.
He said that under the Bill where special protection of a child or assistance to the parents or care is required from the state, including out-of-home care, the participation of the child in the related decision-making process must be ensured to the maximum extent possible.
Although the Bill provides that no child shall be removed from their family home and environment by state intervention without very good and sound reasons after considering all views including of child and in the circumstances in the best interest of a child and to protect a child from violence, abuse and neglect yet it has provision for restriction on parental custody of a child.
The removal of child from parental custody under emergency power exercised by a police officer was highly objected by the most of the participant in the consultation. Sardar Raza Khan Barrech, Advisor on Law and Justice to Chief Minister Balochistan vehemently objective this provision in the bill and argued that only Family Court may restrict the exercise of parental custody and control of a child. The Unicef hosted this consultation and requested Ministry of Human Rights for technical support of Legal Consultant for the Ministry, Sharafat Ali Chaudhry who has already drafted ICT Child Protection and Welfare Bill.
The members from the Balochistan Standing Committee on Social Welfare along-with the Secretary Social Welfare and Development, Secretary Law and Secretary Planning and Development from Gilgit Baltistan also participated in deliberation to finalise this Bill.
Earlier Sarah Coleman, UNICEF, Chief Child Protection Section, Pakistan welcomed to participants of the consultation and explained the objectives of the meeting. Dr Shama Ishaq Baloch, Chairperson Standing Committee on Social Welfare, delivered the opening remarks saying that the Committee will review the Balochistan Child Protection, 2015 in the light of comments received from technical expert in the meeting. The next meeting on this bill will held at Quetta during first week of May.
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