During Friday’s session, the government and opposition unanimously passed the bill that will introduce a response and recovery mechanism for missing children.
The bill was presented in the National Assembly today by Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari to mark the second death anniversary of seven-year-old Zainab Ameen Fatima, who was brutally raped and murdered in January 2018.
Addressing the floor of the House, Mazari thanked Federal Minister for Planning, Development and Reforms Asad Umar and National Assembly Standing Committee on Human Rights Chairperson Mahreen Razaque Bhutto for expediting the bill’s passage.
The bill will pave the way for the setting up of the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Agency (ZARRA), where missing child cases will be reported.
An agency will be set up under this bill that will closely work with the 1099 helpline and other helplines in several districts. When a complaint is made via these helplines, it should be immediately transferred to the agency so an investigation can immediately begin.
The agency will operate out of Islamabad and engage the PTA, social media and other institutions to create a helpline and SMS service to spread information about missing children.
According to the bill, Zainab Alert Response and Recovery will be set up for the emergency reporting of child abuse of age under 18.
An officer who does not respond to crimes against a child within two hours may also be punished.
The missing child will be notified immediately at the helpline.
The bill also demanded the public hanging of Victims of child abuse.