Program Manager, Society for Protection of the Rights of Child (SPARC), Imran Takkar has asked the government to conduct survey of child labour, street children and review the existing laws in the light of United Nations Convention on Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and other international instruments.
He was talking to media here on Tuesday in the SPARC Drop-in-Centre for street children in connections with World Day against child labour. Imran Takkar said that after the 18th constitutional amendment education is the fundamental right of the child therefore the government should take meaningful steps for the implementation of the Article 25-A that assures education to all children of age five to sixteen years.
Imran further said that as today is the world day against child labour and in Pakistan almost 1.2 million children are on the street and maximum amongst them are involve in labour. He urged the government and the civil society to work together and take initiatives to protect the street children rights and provide them an environment free from all kind of abuses and exploitations, get proper education, live in safe environment of their homes as enshrined in the UNCRC signed and ratified by Pakistan.
It was stressed upon the government to ensure protection for street children the most vulnerable and neglected group through policy change and strict implementation of rules regulations. It was shared that the street children are working for unregulated hours with no little time for recreation. "They are at high risk of physical, emotional, verbal and sexual abuses including commercial sexual exploitation and drug addictions".