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Special body examining legal framework, laws, says Marriyum

ISLAMABAD – Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting and National History Marriyum Aurangzeb said on Tuesday that a special committee was currently examining laws , legal frameworks and regulations related to child protection and it will soon come up with suggestions for further improving the regime.

Speaking as the chief guest at a workshop titled “Child Protection Case Management and Referral System in Pakistan,” organized by the United Nations International Children’s Emergency Fund (Unicef), she said that the special committee after a thorough consultation with all stakeholders will submit its report containing recommendations to National Assembly Speaker Sardar Ayaz Sadiq within 30 days.

The minister said that prosecution was the most important part, as, in many instances, parents had to run from pillar to post for getting a case registered. She said that rape and murder victims Zainab and Asma have been taken ups as a case study and the Punjab government was assisting the committee to check what problems the victims’ parents faced particularly in registering the cases.

The minister said that the committee would also take into account the input of civil society and other stakeholders while proposing recommendations.

The minister, who is also the Chairperson of National Assembly’s Special Committee on Child Abuse, was all praise for Balochistan and Gilgit-Baltistan assemblies for making holistic and comprehensive legislation for child protection. She also called for including a subject on child protection in the curricula to create awareness among children and parents.

She said that the Punjab government had launched an information technology-based system and a forensic lab had been established which could also be emulated by other provinces. The minister thanked international partners for their support and contribution in fighting the scourge of child abuse.

She said that the media has the obligation to report and highlight incidents like the Kasur episode, but it also has the responsibility in creating awareness for prevention of such incidents. The information minister said that under the 18th amendment, provinces had been empowered and they were also doing legislation to deal with social problems and other issues.

She said that the federal government was ready to extend all possible support to the provinces in this connection. She also said that a Sustainable Development Goals task force was working on child protection issues at both the federal and provincial level.

The Nation