The Special Committee of the Senate on Child Protection on Monday expressed grave concerns over repeated cases of child abuse in the country and urged the relevant departments and agencies to play their effective role to nab the accused and prevent such cases in future.
The meeting of the committee was held with Senator Rubina Khalid in the chair. The meeting discussed formulation of terms of references (ToRs) of the panel in detail. The meeting was attended by Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed, Senator Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif and Naveed Zada Khan, law officer from the Ministry of Law and Justice.
In her observations, the chairperson of committee stated that the panel was set up on the special directives of the Chairman Senate Sadiq Sanjrani and is intended to review the issue of child abuse in detail, especially in connection with reference to the incident that took place in a Mansehra seminary.
She stressed the need for sensitization of the people, adding that the society as a whole needs to play its role to save the children from abusers. She urged the media to play its role and highlight all such cases that take place in the country.
The chairperson also expressed concern over cases of child abuse in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa which are not being highlighted enough in the media. "This is unfortunate that the incidents of child abuses in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa do not get enough coverage and response from the society compared to the cases somewhere else," she added.
Senator Rana Maqbool Ahmed was of the opinion that senior members of the local community should have an eye on children of their area, adding that parents should also ensure that they have information of their children's whereabouts and the company they keep.
Senator Saif said to bring change, the true essence of Islam should be understood.
He underscored the need for sensitizing of both men and women, adding that it is important to focus also on children living in suburbs. He also suggested that Pakistan Electronic Media Regulatory Authority (PEMRA) should also be taken on board to ensure that channels run programs that spread awareness in people regarding the issue. "The conflict in laws is a major impediment in bringing justice. Focusing on loopholes in the law is imperative for success," he said, adding that the heads of Wafaq-ul-Madaris should also be taken on board.
The committee recommended that 'the Zainab Alert, Recovery and Response Bill' and TORs of the previously formed committee should be studied minutely. The committee also decided to visit Abbottabad on Wednesday to probe the case and get details regarding the investigations. The committee members will also meet the victim's parents to assure them of the committee's all-out support.
Last month, a 10-year-old student was sexually abused allegedly by a seminary teacher in Mansehra. Ali Gohar, uncle of the victim, had lodged a report with Mansehra police, saying that he enrolled his nephew in a madrassa (seminary) three months ago. He told police he received information on telephone a few days ago that his nephew is not feeling well, adding that a teacher of the madrassa brought his nephew to a hospital on his request and on medical tests, it was revealed that the child has been subjected to sexual abuse multiple times and he was also tortured.
Comments
Comments are closed.