Corporal punishment continues to squander child rights
While a law has been in the works for four years, Sindh still struggles to offer its children the protection they need
KARACHI:
Curbing crimes against children has long remained an uphill battle for Sindh, where despite the existence of legal framework, right of child are routinely infringed upon in broad daylight. Regrettably and rather shamefully, the province’s schools and seminaries continue to remain on the forefront of the violence.
Reports from various districts suggest that teachers at these institutions have been in the habit of punishing minor students by subjecting them to grossly inhumane and degrading treatments, which frequently lead to mental and physical harm.
KARACHI: The Sindh Assembly was informed on Friday that the needy madressah students were not given any financial assistance from the zakat fund due to want of a no-objection certificate (NOC) from the home department and district administration.
While furnishing statement and lawmakers’ written and verbal queries during Question Hour, Parliamentary Secretary for Auqaf, Zakat and Ushr Heer Soho said that the madressahs were not being issued NOC for availing the facility of financial assistance for deserving students as the procedure of obtaining an NOC from the home department and the district administration was complicated.
She informed the lawmakers that the needy students of as many as 22 public-sector universities and poor patients at 26 different public and private hospitals were given financial aid from the zakat fund.
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.
Sindh Assembly passes Child Protection Authority Amendment Act, 2021 geo.tv - get the latest breaking news, showbiz & celebrity photos, sport news & rumours, viral videos and top stories from geo.tv Daily Mail and Mail on Sunday newspapers.
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.