Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) distributed Eid gifts among juvenile inmates at the Remand Home in Nazimabad, Karachi.
Akhtar Mangi, the Superintendent Remand Home, on the occasion shared with audience that the Remand Home was established in 1973 under the Sindh Children Act 1955, said a press release issued on Thursday.
Mangi appreciated the contribution of Sparc, which not only repainted the entire Building in 2009 but has also provided clothes for children, blankets, ceiling fans, exhaust fans and mattresses for sleeping on the floor, computer and printer.
With such support, he said, the life at the Home and work has been improved. He further said that in the absence of vehicle and security guards they face problems in producing children in the courts. But it becomes more troublesome when Remand Home receives an injured child by police or public, he said. It takes four to five days to get formal permission from the police department to take the injured child to the Civil Hospital Karachi. In the absence of immediate medical treatment, the child suffers a lot due to pain.
On the occasion, Abdullah Khoso, Manager at Sparc said the Remand Home is a form of detention for alleged offender children who have come in conflict with the laws. It is meant for the custody, trial, protection, treatment, and rehabilitation of children.
But sadly, he said, it is the only place for very minor juveniles throughout Sindh which is an open violation of the Sindh Children Act 1955 and Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000. Further, he added that it is the most neglected area in the juvenile justice system. The home occupies very small space relegating children to sleep on the floor, having no space to play inside the building whereas outdoor games are out of the way.
On the occasion, a child, (F), aged 12 years said that he was implicated in a false case of theft by police as unfortunately he was present at the time when the crime took place. He said that he, his father and brothers are laborers and he will miss his parents and friends on the occasion of Eid.
Saturday, November 28, 2009
By our correspondent
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=210818
Sunday, November 29, 2009
Saturday, November 21, 2009
Activists demand implementation of ordinance
Activists demand implementation of ordinance
Activists advocating to defend the rights of children on Friday demanded to the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court (SHC) and the Inspector General Police Sindh to implement the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000.
The activists demanded this while organising a two-day Juvenile Justice System Awareness Camp at the city courts premises, said a press release issued here on Friday. The camp was jointly organised by Karachi Bar Association (KBA), Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) and In-charge of the Child Rights Desk (CRD) established at the women police station New Town Karachi. The presence of police officers at the camp was a great surprise for many of the visitors. A large number of visitors termed the police responsible for increasing crime rate.
For two days, the camp remained a center of debate about the juvenile justice system which is not being implemented. A huge number of visiting lawyers, barristers, relatives of the prisoners, prosecutor generals and police officers shared their experiences and initiated a positive dialogue about a constructive role of all organs of the juvenile justice system. The camp aimed to promote concept of pro-bono among lawyers, so they could voluntarily undertake cases of poor children as public servants without payment.
In-charge child rights desk, police officer Farida Khan while talking to visitors said that all police officers are not bad. There are some good police officers too, who are trying to cultivate positive trends.
Abdullah Khoso, provincial manager juvenile justice, said that the CRD is primarily responsible to deal with the cases of children who come in conflict with the law. It is providing protection and ensuring all the rights are given to a child being alleged for an offence under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) 2000 and Sindh Children Act, 1955. The desk, whenever possible, is also diverting a child for a minor offence from the retributive formal criminal justice system to an informal system of rehabilitation and reintegration. The desk will also deal with children who become victim of any offense like sexual abuse, torture, sale, trafficking, forced begging, forced labour, exploitation etc.
Khoso moreover said that Lawyer fraternity has to jointly play its role to get the juvenile justice system implemented. They should write to the Chief Justice Sindh High Court for establishing Juvenile Courts and solving issues of bail and surety for poor children. He added that 20th November is Universal Children Day because on this day United Nations Assembly had adopted Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The article 40 of the CRC says that a child in conflict with the laws has right to treatment which promotes the Child’s Sense of dignity and reintegration into society, which is hardly seen in practice.
Naeem Qureshi, General Secretary Karachi Bar Council (KBC), said that KBC will write to the Chief Justice Sindh High Court for the establishment of Juvenile Courts and implementation of the JJSO 2000 in its true spirit.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=209669
Saturday, November 21, 2009
By By our correspondent
Karachi
Activists advocating to defend the rights of children on Friday demanded to the Chief Justice of Sindh High Court (SHC) and the Inspector General Police Sindh to implement the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000.
The activists demanded this while organising a two-day Juvenile Justice System Awareness Camp at the city courts premises, said a press release issued here on Friday. The camp was jointly organised by Karachi Bar Association (KBA), Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) and In-charge of the Child Rights Desk (CRD) established at the women police station New Town Karachi. The presence of police officers at the camp was a great surprise for many of the visitors. A large number of visitors termed the police responsible for increasing crime rate.
For two days, the camp remained a center of debate about the juvenile justice system which is not being implemented. A huge number of visiting lawyers, barristers, relatives of the prisoners, prosecutor generals and police officers shared their experiences and initiated a positive dialogue about a constructive role of all organs of the juvenile justice system. The camp aimed to promote concept of pro-bono among lawyers, so they could voluntarily undertake cases of poor children as public servants without payment.
In-charge child rights desk, police officer Farida Khan while talking to visitors said that all police officers are not bad. There are some good police officers too, who are trying to cultivate positive trends.
Abdullah Khoso, provincial manager juvenile justice, said that the CRD is primarily responsible to deal with the cases of children who come in conflict with the law. It is providing protection and ensuring all the rights are given to a child being alleged for an offence under the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO) 2000 and Sindh Children Act, 1955. The desk, whenever possible, is also diverting a child for a minor offence from the retributive formal criminal justice system to an informal system of rehabilitation and reintegration. The desk will also deal with children who become victim of any offense like sexual abuse, torture, sale, trafficking, forced begging, forced labour, exploitation etc.
Khoso moreover said that Lawyer fraternity has to jointly play its role to get the juvenile justice system implemented. They should write to the Chief Justice Sindh High Court for establishing Juvenile Courts and solving issues of bail and surety for poor children. He added that 20th November is Universal Children Day because on this day United Nations Assembly had adopted Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC). The article 40 of the CRC says that a child in conflict with the laws has right to treatment which promotes the Child’s Sense of dignity and reintegration into society, which is hardly seen in practice.
Naeem Qureshi, General Secretary Karachi Bar Council (KBC), said that KBC will write to the Chief Justice Sindh High Court for the establishment of Juvenile Courts and implementation of the JJSO 2000 in its true spirit.
http://www.thenews.com.pk/print1.asp?id=209669
Saturday, November 21, 2009
By By our correspondent
Karachi
Monday, November 2, 2009
‘Children for sale’
THIS is apropos of the news item, ‘Girl for sale’ (Sept 18). Muhammad Ayoub, a jobless man, had taken his 12-year-old daughter to the Hyderabad Press Club where he offered her for sale.
Likewise, on Oct 12, Nadeem, a resident of Hyderabad, had brought three children with him at the press club for sale because of poverty, hunger and inflation.
Such incidents are becoming common gradually and parents are compelled to bring their children for sale at different press clubs of Sindh.
They, in their desperateness, hold placards bearing such announcements as ‘children for sale’ because they cannot afford to feed, cloth and protect them.
This increasing trend shows that our society has been badly fractured and has stopped cultivating the best values of love and affection for children.
The value of respecting children and their rights as being innocent has disappeared from our society.
This also shows that our institutions have not been able to dispense social justice among the poor.
Besides, unfortunately, there is no child protection law in Pakistan which could ensure respect and protection of children from their sale by their parents, or else, because of poverty, hunger, joblessness and inflation.
In 1990, Pakistan had ratified the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989.
The UNCRC’s Article 4 says that states parties shall undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures for the implementation of rights recognised in the present Convention.
Furthermore, in Article 35 it explicitly says, “State parties will take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent the abduction of, the sale of or traffic in children for any purpose or in any form”.
After the ratification of the UNCRC, Pakistan has to provide complete social, legal, economic protection to children from such acts but after the passage of 18 years to its ratification still no concrete and visible measures have been taken to enable legislation like creating national child rights commission and bringing national laws in conformity with the UNCRC.
However, in 1996, the first draft of the National Child Protection Bill was prepared and since then it has been refused numerous times and lying useless.
Also Pakistan does have the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance, 2002, but it does not cover internal (or within Pakistan) trafficking or sale of children by anyone for any purpose.
ABDULLAH KHOSO
Karachi
Monday, 02 Nov, 2009 | 06:06 AM PST
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/children-for-sale-119
Likewise, on Oct 12, Nadeem, a resident of Hyderabad, had brought three children with him at the press club for sale because of poverty, hunger and inflation.
Such incidents are becoming common gradually and parents are compelled to bring their children for sale at different press clubs of Sindh.
They, in their desperateness, hold placards bearing such announcements as ‘children for sale’ because they cannot afford to feed, cloth and protect them.
This increasing trend shows that our society has been badly fractured and has stopped cultivating the best values of love and affection for children.
The value of respecting children and their rights as being innocent has disappeared from our society.
This also shows that our institutions have not been able to dispense social justice among the poor.
Besides, unfortunately, there is no child protection law in Pakistan which could ensure respect and protection of children from their sale by their parents, or else, because of poverty, hunger, joblessness and inflation.
In 1990, Pakistan had ratified the United Nations Conventions on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) 1989.
The UNCRC’s Article 4 says that states parties shall undertake all appropriate legislative, administrative, and other measures for the implementation of rights recognised in the present Convention.
Furthermore, in Article 35 it explicitly says, “State parties will take all appropriate national, bilateral and multilateral measures to prevent the abduction of, the sale of or traffic in children for any purpose or in any form”.
After the ratification of the UNCRC, Pakistan has to provide complete social, legal, economic protection to children from such acts but after the passage of 18 years to its ratification still no concrete and visible measures have been taken to enable legislation like creating national child rights commission and bringing national laws in conformity with the UNCRC.
However, in 1996, the first draft of the National Child Protection Bill was prepared and since then it has been refused numerous times and lying useless.
Also Pakistan does have the Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance, 2002, but it does not cover internal (or within Pakistan) trafficking or sale of children by anyone for any purpose.
ABDULLAH KHOSO
Karachi
Monday, 02 Nov, 2009 | 06:06 AM PST
http://www.dawn.com/wps/wcm/connect/dawn-content-library/dawn/the-newspaper/letters-to-the-editor/children-for-sale-119
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