Islamabad: Pakistan has made a landmark pledge to strengthen child protection systems and enhance its legal framework to safeguard children from all forms of violence.
The pledge was made by Ministry of Human Rights at the inaugural Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence against Children in Bogota, Colombia on 07-November-2024.
The conference, attended by representatives from more than 100 countries, brought together governments committed to addressing the pressing issue of violence against children.
Pakistan’s commitments were among the key highlights of the event, where nations outlined measures to reduce violence and improve the lives of vulnerable children. Pakistan announced plans to significantly expand and improve child protection services across the country.
This includes strengthening the existing 42 district child protection units and increasing their number nationwide. The initiative aims to create a more comprehensive and accessible child protection framework, supported by a well-trained workforce, enhanced inter-departmental coordination, and a dedicated allocation of resources.
Further, Pakistan emphasised the importance of building a gender-sensitive and child-responsive workforce capable of delivering timely and equitable support to children in need. The goal is to make response services more accessible and effective, particularly in marginalised areas. Pakistan’s pledge also includes significant improvements to the country’s legal and policy frameworks. It committed to strengthening child protection laws, including those addressing corporal punishment, child marriage online sexual exploitation.
This aligns with Pakistan’s broader commitment to enforcing stronger laws to combat child abuse and ensure perpetrators face appropriate legal consequences.
In addition to legal reforms, the government announced plans to launch a nationwide parenting intervention programme.
This initiative aims to support 28 million parents and caregivers in adopting positive, non-violent discipline practices. By addressing social and gender norms, which often perpetuate violence, the programme seeks to create a safer home environment for children across the country.
Globally, situation remains dire, with over 1 billion children more than half of all children aged 2 to 17 suffering from some form of violence each year. Violence against children takes many forms, including corporal punishment, bullying, physical and emotional abuse and sexual violence.
According to the World Health Organisation (WHO), nearly 3 in 5 children are regularly subjected to physical punishment in their homes. The statistics are alarming when it comes to sexual violence, with 1 in 5 girls and 1 in 7 boys experiencing some form of sexual abuse in their lifetime.
Bullying affects between 25pc and 50pc of children globally and violence involving firearms is now the leading cause of death for adolescent males.
The country’s representatives at the global conference said violence against children is preventable. Many countries, including Pakistan, are taking meaningful steps towards its elimination. Proven strategies to reduce violence include parenting support programmes, school-based interventions to prevent bullying and stronger laws to protect children from abuse.
According to WHO, they can reduce violence by up to 50 percent after effectively implementing these strategies.
Officials said Pakistan’s pledge is also in alignment with global goals outlined in United Nations Sustainable Development Agenda, particularly the target of ending all forms of violence against children by 2030.
Despite some progress in individual countries, the overall pace of change has been slow. Nearly 9 in 10 children still live in countries where common forms of childhood violence, such as corporal punishment, are not prohibited by law.
This underscores importance of global collaboration and continued commitment to ending violence against children.
Pakistan plans to work closely with international partners, such as Unicef, the WHO, and civil society organisations, to ensure the implementation of these policies. With robust financial backing, Pakistan aims to significantly reduce childhood violence and provide a safer, more supportive environment for its youngest citizens.
Published in News Daily on 08-Novemeber-2024.
