The safety and security of Pakistani children continues to be a major problem, according to findings of a research conducted by a local children rights protection non-governmental organisation (NGO) released to mark the Universal Children's Day (UCD) which was celebrated in the country on Saturday like other parts of the world.
The UCD is one of the oldest days of United Nations Organisation (UNO) and is celebrated on 20th of 11th month of each year since passage of resolution 836 (IX) by the UN's General Assembly on 14th December 1954. The resolution recommended that all countries shall institute a UCD, to be observed as a day of world-wide fraternity and understanding among children. The day is observed as a day of activity devoted to promoting the ideas and objectives of the UNO Charter and the welfare of the children of the world.
This day however is observed separately to the International Children's Day (ICD) adopted by the World Conference for the well-being of Children in Geneva, Switzerland in 1925. The International Children's Day is marked on 1st of June each year. The state of safety and protection of the Pakistani children is very poor as the country continues to see failures in protecting children from missing, abduction, kidnapping, exploitation and abuse.
According to a research, by the Roshni Helpline - a children rights protection organisation based in Karachi, 2582 children were reported missing in about 100 police stations in Karachi alone, last year. And there is no clue how many go missing, as the families do not report the cases. Also, there is no data on how many go missing all over the country.
"Our research has revealed that Pakistan doesn't have any national or provincial level research or data on missing children, let alone a proper guideline for investigating such cases," says Muhammad Ali, President Roshni Helpline. "We visited 100 police stations across the city over a period of several months which revealed that 2,582 complaints were registered in 2009. I am sure the national figures would be even higher."
Out of 2582 reported missing children cases, 2319 were boys while 263 were girls. Out of these a large portion, 78%, of the children belonged to the age group of 12 and 18, while remaining 22% associated to the age group below 12 years. About 34% of missing children were studying in both formal schools and Madrassas, 30% were only the students of Madrassas while remaining 26% children were the drop out of a school or Madrassa.
Main reasons behind children running away from home were poverty, physical, sexual and emotional violence at home and in schools or Madrassas and the economic and financial constraints faced by the family. The data has substantiated this information by telling that 80% of either missing or runaway children belonged to the middle or lower socio-economic structure of the society.
A majority of these cases were reported from middle or low income areas of Karachi such as, Korangi Town, Landhi Town, Orangi Town, Baldia Town and Lyari Town. It is informative to note that often children fulfil their own desires, eg live independently, or ambitions, run away from home and ended up on the streets of the city or become part of any criminal group.-PR