Daily Times

Civil society organisations and activists working on promotion and protection of children’s rights on Wednesday, demanded the newly elected provincial government to increase resource allocation to improve the status of child rights in Punjab.

This was demanded during a media briefing arranged by Search for Justice and Child Rights Movement (CRM) in connection with International Day for Eradication of Poverty at the Lahore Press Club.

Addressing the press conference, Search For Justice Programme Coordinator Rashida Qureshi shared that as the world commemorates the International Day for Eradication of Poverty under the theme Coming Together With Those Furthest Behind To Build An Inclusive World Of Universal Respect For Human Rights & Dignity, it is imperative to remember that, despite the significant progress that has been made in reducing extreme poverty, an estimated 1 billion children still live in poverty globally – that is one out of every two children in the whole world.

Rashida Qureshi observed that social protection is the basic human right of children, enshrined in the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC). She added that based on the convention, children have the right to social security and an adequate standard of living, both of which can be guaranteed for children and families who live in poverty through publicly-funded social protection.

The CRM coordinator appreciated the increase in budget of Child Protection Bureau in Punjab from Rs 426 million to Rs 590 million. She stressed to ensure allocation on capacity building and awareness raising sensitisation of masses to ensure behaviour change towards issues of children.

Search For Justice Executive Director and child rights activist Iftikhar Mubarik appreciated the previous government for enacting a number of laws to deal with various issues of children which includes rights to education, right to protection from economic exploitation child labour but “still there is dire need to increase budgetary allocation to ensure effective implementation of all these laws in true letter and spirit”.

He particularly highlighted the need to devise system and mechanisms to bring children’s voices and views into decision making process under guidance of Article 12 of UNRC.

Listening to children requires that we first recognise that children have a right to be active and free and meaningfully participate in efforts to secure their own wellbeing.

“To do well with and for children, we are obliged to recognise that each child has a fundamental entitlement to a process of development that recognises and enables their agency, their own affairs, circumstances and aspirations. It is not enough that we have the best intentions for the child, or that we are committed to find the resources and programmes needed to achieve such intentions. Rather we are obligated to make sure that children participate, contribute and are part of this journey,” Iftikhar Mubarik said.

Published in Daily Times, October 18^th 2018.