Children and women in FATA

Sir: The drone strikes and insurgency in the tribal belt of Pakistan have left hundreds of orphans and widows behind. Their lives have been completely changed due to insurgency and displacement.

There are such families in almost every village who have lost all their male members. Now the head of these families are either women or even children. Both of them are in a bad condition. Women cannot travel unescorted and serving their families has become a serious issue for them.

They face difficulties such as financial, business-related, medical treatment and access to their rights while young children have to face food shortage, no education and guidance facilities, psychological pressures and illnesses and inadequate care. Children are even working as labourers both inside and outside these areas while at some places landmines have also injured some of them.

These hapless women and children are now the responsibility of our government. It should order the political administration in these areas to conduct a survey of each and every such family and make arrangements required for their welfare. Women must be given support to run their households decently while the children be given full care, food and education.

They are going through the worst phase of their lives. Leaving them unprotected and uncovered by the government would give birth to many other social and economic problems in our society.

LALARUKH ZAMAN
Islamabad

Source: DAILY TIMES