Sindh Assembly amends law to establish special courts for child protection
Karachi
April 24, 2021
The Sindh Assembly on Friday passed into law the Sindh Child Protection Authority (Amendment) Law 2021, paving the way for setting up special courts for child protection in each district of the province.
The Section 20-D of the newly passed amendment bill titled ‘Establishment of Special Courts’ reads: “For the purpose of speedy justice, government shall, in consultation with the High Court of Sindh, by notification, specify for each district, an existing court of Civil Judge/Assistant Sessions Judge to be a Special Court for Child Protection to try the offences under this (Sindh Child Protection Authority) Act.”
Sindh assembly empowers child protection agency
Authority can now take suo motu action on cases of violence against children
KARACHI:
The provincial assembly empowered the Sindh Child Protection Authority to take suo motu action on cases of abduction, rape, murder or any other kind of assault against children.
The house passed a law to this effect in Friday s session in the wake of increasing crimes against children.
The Sindh Child Protection Authority Act was originally passed in 2011, but it did not cover any preventive or curative measures. As a result, amendments and drastic changes were made to make the relevant authority more effective in protecting the children of Sindh.
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Karachi: The Sindh government has launched a toll-free helpline service ‘1121’ to provide emergency assistance to protect children in the province against any injustice or abuse.
This was disclosed by Sindh Law and Environment Adviser Murtaza Wahab as he inaugurated a shelter home for destitute children in Malir area of Karachi. The shelter home works under the aegis of Sindh Child Protection Authority and Sindh Government’s Social Welfare Department.
Wahab toured different wards of the shelter home, reviewed its facilities, and also interacted with the children there.
Sindh Law Adviser appealed to the people to use the toll-free helpline to report any incident of abuse or exploitation against the children.
Government moves to amend legislation after nine years and no progress
KARACHI:
Crimes against children plague Sindh but the provincial government has yet to enact a cure. Various laws in this regard have been advocated for, mulled over and written in the book. But where that should translate into lower crime rates, official data on the contrary indicates an upturn in harrowing offences like child kidnapping, sexual abuse, rape and murder, across Sindh in recent years.
Since 2016, more than 350 children, including 250 boys and 100 girls, have fallen prey to various forms of abuse in the province. Over 116 of these minors were targeted in Karachi alone.