HYDERABAD: Despite the allocation of Rs 21 billion in Sindh budget 2017-18 for education department, more than 6 million children are out of school, and 5,483 government schools are closed, out of 45,555 in Sindh. On International Human Rights Day, members of Child Rights Movement (CRM) and Society for Protection and Rights for Child (SPARC) discussed activities and status of human rights in a press conference at Hyderabad Press Club. SPARC Regional Head and Sindh CRM Secretary Kashif Bajeer said that despite announcing an emergency in education and receiving lion’s share of overall provincial budget, education in Sindh has not shown any improvement, and number of out-of-school children still shows no decline. He said lack of facilities especially drinking water, sanitation and hygiene issues are multiplying, causing problems for schoolchildren. He said government was allocating billions to development and non-development projects and annual reports of different departments were showing deferred amount; while there was no improvement in educational and health conditions of children in Sindh. “Sindh government is allocating budget to police department instead to education”, he added. Bajeer stressed that government’s lackadaisical attitude towards education could be gauged by the fact that it allocated Rs 54 million for conducting ‘child labour survey’ in the province to ascertain actual status of children involved in labour, but has failed to utilise even a single penny in fiscal year 2016-17. Active Women Foundation President Aneesa Waliullah said that government has to make a mechanism for the purpose of utilisation of budget. She said social sectors were working on the basis of volunteerism and by grants of donors. She said that action without agenda and strategies has failed, and that with collective approach of civil society members, journalists and law enforcement agencies, there can be change. “According to Sindh finance department, Rs 869.1 billion was allocated for financial year 2016-17, sparing Rs 225 billion for annual development programmes, but Sindh, like other sectors, has not shown any improvement in child-related initiatives”. Children are the most vulnerable segment of society and there are host of issues confronted by them such as: child labour, brick kiln bondage, domestic slavery, corporal punishment, trafficking, prostitution, sexual abuse and many other crimes against children are perpetuated every day due to negligence of state as well as poor enforcement of laws, she said. Published in Daily Times, December 11th 2017.