PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa government on 29-June-2025 inaugurated the dedicated child protection helpline (1121) and the Centre for Continuing Professional Development (C4CPD).
The KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCPWC) hosted a two-day inter-provincial consultative conference in Peshawar.
The organisers said the objective of the conference, held with the support of UNICEF, was to strengthen the child protection system nationwide and promote inter-provincial coordination.
The conference was chaired by Provincial Minister for Social Welfare Syed Qasim Ali Shah.
Representatives from the child protection authorities and commissions of Azad Jammu and Kashmir, Gilgit-Baltistan, Islamabad, Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were in attendance.
The minister said that KP introduced the country’s first child protection law in 2010, setting a new precedent, and was now committed to expanding it to all districts.
Apart from formally launching the “Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection Commission Inaugural Report (2010–2024),” which comprehensively outlines the commission’s performance and reforms, the minister inaugurated the dedicated child protection helpline (1121) and the Centre for Continuing Professional Development (C4CPD).
He informed participants that the chief minister had approved a budgetary increase of PKR 250 million for the commission.
The minister said the upcoming fiscal year, District Child Protection Units (DCPUs) would be established in five new districts, and PKR 120 million had been allocated for a Model Child Protection Unit in Dera Ismail Khan.
He stated that the establishment of C4CPD was a milestone initiative that would play a key role in training, skill enhancement, and institutional reforms, aiming to integrate child protection with the health, education, judiciary, and social welfare sectors.
During the conference, all provinces shared their models, experiences, and challenges. There was consensus on developing an inter-provincial coordination framework to address issues related to Afghan refugee children, inter-provincial migration, child trafficking, and missing children.
UNICEF representatives Wisam Hazem and Suhail Ahmad appreciated the efforts of the commission in promoting child protection in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
Secretary Social Welfare Syed Nazar Hussain Shah also attended the event and emphasized the importance of inter-provincial collaboration.
Published in News Daily on 30 June 2025.
