Sangat Sindh Report on Seminar on Child Rights

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Seminar Report: Child Rights and Role of Civil Society

Child Rights and Role of Civil

Society

April 15, 2007,

Serverabad, Nawabshah

Seminar Report

By

Nisar Brohi


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1. An Introduction

2. Objectives of Seminar

3. Seminar proceedings

3.1 Dr. Ghulam Rasool, Health Educationalist

3.2 Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat

Development Foundation (SDF)

3.3 K. K. Brohi, Branch Manager, SRSP

3.4 Nazir Ahmed, Educationalist3.5 Akbar Gul Keerio, Journalist

3.6 Ashfaque Gupchani, Political Activist

3.7 Inayat Brohi, Poet & Writer

4. Recommendations of the Seminar


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1.1 An Introduction

It is matter of fact that children are the

vulnerable segment of any society, therefore, they

require special attention not only in their

upbringing in early childhood but they also direneed to have focused attention in their emotional

and socio-educational development in the early

years of the life. In the developed societies of

the world, no doubt that a lot of attention is paid

by the stakeholders of the society on the proper

child protection and development, but on the other

side, in the under development societies, children

are not given even due attention neither by the

state governments nor over all the society has a

due role for the protection and development of the

children and their basic rights in their respective

social milieus.

When we take stock of our society in Pakistan, the

state as

well as

society

has

bitterly

failed toprotect

the

rights of

children.

Neither

the state

governmen

t has fulfilled its responsibility to give proper

attention on the socio-educational development ofthe child community nor the society has created any

pro child environment where they could have

conducive atmosphere for their career and

personality boost up.


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While keeping in mind the growing trends of

violence against children and also an unfavorable

social atmosphere for the children especially in

our remote rural areas, Sangat Development

Foundation (SDF), being responsible civil society

entity has

organized a one-

day seminar on

Child Rights and

Role of Civil

Society at

Serverabad,

Nawabshah, in

order to discuss

the role of thestate and its

machinery for the

child rights

protection as well as the role of the civil society

and also to sensitize the responsible social actors

regarding their civil and moral duties for the

protection and development of a children community

specially living in the rural society.

2. Objectives of the Seminar

To discuss the current socio-educational scenarioof children in Nawabshah district.

To create awareness regarding child rights at thegrass root level.

To discuss the emotional and socio-educationalconditions of the children living in the remote

and backward rural areas with stakeholders of the

society of Nawabshah district. To chalk out strategy to combat collectively the

burgeoning violence and crime against children in

the Nawabshah district.

To Sensitize social actors on the child issuesand to campaign for the protection of child

rights.


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3. Seminar Proceedings

3.1 Dr. Ghulam Rasool, Health Educationalist

Dr. Ghulam Rasool in his presentation on topic

Child Rights and Socialization Process dwelt in

length on the socio- health problems of the

children especially living in the rural areas. Dr

said that rural children have been facing

multidimensional problems, ranging from parents

attitude to socio-educational and also

unavailability of basic health facilities. Due to

unawareness, the parents dont know how to treat

their respective children even in their houses. It

has been observed in the rural society that theparents dont have strong bonds of friendly

relationship and interaction with their children,

which needs for the personality formation and

confidence building process in the early years in

the childhood. So, due to unfriendly social

atmosphere in the house, mostly the rural children

used to live under depression and astray.

Dr. further said that early childhood care and

education supports childrens survival, growth,development and learning-including health,

nutrition and hygiene and cognitive, social,

physical and emotional development-from birth to

entry into primary school in formal conditions.

It has also been witnessed that the children dont

have suitable and favorable atmosphere in our

educational institutions in the rural areas. Mostly

the government schools either are closed or

occupied by the Waderas (landlord) to use as their

otaq (Guest House). Meanwhile the teachers

appointed by the government in the rural areas also

not attending the school regularly, so, the future

of the rural children in Nawabshah is at the stake,

Dr. said


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The rural children are suffering from many curable

as well as deadly diseases but the government has

bitterly failed to provide them cure. Most

government dispensaries are either closed or having

acute shortage of the regular medicines even the

ORS packets to meet the emergency situation in

these rural areas. There is badly need to have more

dispensaries/BHUs in the rural areas, and also

suitable health facilities should be provided to

the rural community in Nawabshah district.

Dr said that there is badly need to create

awareness encompass very diverse arrangements, from

parenting programmes to community-based child care,

centre based provision and formal pre-primaryeducation, often in school.

There is also need to a sustainable policy planning

for the protection of child rights, employing

different strategies, as direct

interaction/dialogue with the parents at the

local/village level to get them aware about the

child rights and educate them that how they should

deal with the children in their respective houses

and adopt the measures to develop and promote theirtalent in the early childhood. Same time, there is

also strong need to make advocacy with the local as

well as district level educational and social

institutions and also with the district government

in order to educate them regarding rights of the

children including their socio-educational and

health problems in the rural areas. As the holistic

approach should be adopted to work for the

sustainable solution of the problems of children

living in the rural areas on the priority bases.

3.2 Mr. Nisar Brohi, Director, Sangat Development

Foundation (SDF)


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Mr. Brohi first welcomed the participants and said

that Sangat Development Foundation is not for a

profit and non-governmental entity, working closely

with vulnerable rural communities in the district

on their socio-economic and health related issues.

Being a responsible social organization, has

organised this seminar on rights of the children

not only to highlight the problems of the children

of the rural community but also work with community

for their sustainable solution.

While speaking further in the seminar on topic

Child Rights and State Responsibilities, he

further said that a particular care for the rights

of children have been enshrined in the Declarationof the Rights of the Child adopted by the General

Assembly on 20 November 1959, and all state are its

signatories. As it is clearly mentioned in the

Declaration of the Rights of the Child that the

Child by reason of his physical and mental

immaturity, needs special safeguard and care,

including appropriate legal protection, before as

well as after birth.

State parties shall respect and ensure the rightsset forth in the present convention to each child

within their Jurisdiction without discrimination of

any kind, irrespective of the childs or his or her

parents or legal guardians race, colour, sex

language, religion, political or other opinion,

national, ethnic or social origin, property,

disability, birth or other status.

Mr. Brohi said that states recognize the right of

the child to the enjoyment of the highest

attainable standard of health and to facilities for

the treatment of illness and rehabilitation of

health and also states are bound to provide access

to education and to support in the use of basic

knowledge of child health and nutrition. No child


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shall be subjected to torture or other cruel,

inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment.

States also agreed that the education of the child

shall be directed to the development of the childs

personality, talents and mental and physical

abilities to the fullest potential.

Despite of to be the signatories, that most of the

states have bitterly failed in the protection of

the child rights in the jurisdictions, Mr. Brohi

said

In this regard he discussed the case of Pakistan,

and said that there is bitter violation of Child

Rights at all levels in the country but thegovernment has failed to give shelter to the child

community especially of the rural and backward

areas. It is the government duty to provide

security and safety to all but the children of

nation has be given special attention in their

emotional and socio-educational career especially

in the early period of the life. But here, the

children community has been passing through

critical conditions from violence and abuse

incidents to kidnapping and killing, theseconditions have played havoc with their future.

3.3 Mr. K.K. Brohi, Branch Manager, Sindh Rural

Support Program(SRSP)

Mr. K.K Brohi, while speaking on the Child Rights

and Domestic Violence said that family is

considered the first institution of any society,

and it plays a vital role especially in the early

child development phases. But as for as our social

fabric is concerned, some decades back, our family

system was very strong and used to be considered a

heaven for the proper child care and development.

But with the passage of time, our family system has

been broken down and now a days passing through the


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very critical phase of its evolution. Due to

poverty-stricken conditions of the rural community,

and other manifold socio-economic problems, the

parents have been suffering from many socio-

psychological problems, so they are mostly unable

to give proper attention to their offspring.

Due to growing trend of domestic violence in the

rural community have had disastrous effects on the

mind of the children. When a child living in the

violence proven environment, he/she not only

getting disturbance but also losses confidence and

trust once for all, said Mr. K.K.

To get repose the fastly losing confidence, thereis badly need to have a comprehensive campaign for

the child violence containment and other anti child

activities at the domestic level in the rural

areas.

3.4. Mr.Nazir Ahmed, EducationalistWhile discussing on the topic Violence against

Child and Our Educational Institutions Mr. Ahmed

said that any person or nation always grow anddevelop in the harmonious and peaceful conditions

rather than violent and virulent environment. The

violence always stagnates and even reverses socio-

economic and intellectual development of an

individual or nation. Simultaneously, the violence

in our educational institutions has had very bad

effects on the career and confidence builds up of

the children.

The teacher should be a role model for child, and

the teacher should have well-established

interaction with any child to whom he is teaching

and guiding. A teacher should handle a child with

proper and fatherly manner. The teacher, with

curriculum activities, should also inculcate the


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positive and healthy values of the society in a

child/student of the institution.

But it has been observed that our educational

institutions practicing violence culture, which has

had a disastrous impact on the socio-psychological

development of any young child. He suggested that

stern measures should be taken to ensure the

violence free environment in our educational

educations. There is also need for a comprehensive

awareness campaign regarding the ill effects of the

violence culture on the child and its future, so

the teachers should be made aware that they should

take care and restrain to the punishment of the

students studying in the institutions.

3.5 Mr. Akbar Gul Keerio, Journalist

Mr. Akbar while speaking on Child Rights and Role

of the Media said that the media should play

effective role for the protection of child rights

especially in the rural areas, where violation of

the child rights is the order of the day.

Being a working journalist has been covering thebackward and remote areas of the Nawabshah

district, has a witnessed of cruel treatment of the

innocent children in the rural areas. A large

number of cases were reported of abducting,

torture, molestation, rape, maltreatment, and

kidnapping and killing for the ransom of the

innocent children in the remote areas of the

district Nawabshah.

He further said that there was also a number ofviolence against of children cases in our

educational institutions. The teachers working in

the government educational institutions used to

abuse and also use immoral language in the

education institutions, and also physical and


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emotional molestation-taking place as normal

activity.

He appealed to the stakeholders of civil society to

jointly work for the protection and promotion of

the child rights in the rural areas as well as

advocacy with the legislative and executive

machinery of the local, provincial and federal

agencies that the basic child rights should be

ensured.

It is the demand of the time that if we want to

prosperous and developed nation than we should have

a huge investment on the next generation, means on

children of the country, said Mr. Akbar.

The local, and national media managers should come

forward to play their due role in the highlighting

the violence against children incidents occurring

in the rural areas at the national and

international level, as the rights of child in the

country should be ensured. The print media,

especially the electronic media could play role

paramount important part in creating awareness

regarding child rights especially in the ruralareas, he added.

3.6 Mr. Ashfaque Gupchani, Political Activist

Mr. Gupchani, while speaking on Child Rights and

Role of Political Parties said thatthe time has

now come that the political parties should also

join the civil society groups, which are working on

the child rights and development. The political

parties should adopt clear and sound policy toensuring the rights of children in the country.

He criticized on the political parties role

regarding the rights of children protection and in

the legislation and execution of the pro child

polices in the country.


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He was of the opinion that it is the need of time

that at least social and political groups should

have consultative working group at the local level,

on the issues and rights of the children in

Nawabshah. If any where violation of child rights

takes place, the groups immediately chalk out plan

and launch struggle for the safely and security of

the child victim and also help the victim party to

fight its legal battle. The consultative group on

child rights should also work for the promotion and

protection of child rights in the district.

3.7 Mr. Inayat Brohi, Poet & Writer

Mr. Inayat Brohi, the young thinkers and writertalked on Child Rights and Child Labour in the

rural areas of the Nawabshah district.

He said that there is a bitter child rights

violation in the rural areas, the reasons are one

is an uneducation and illiteracy and other not easy

accessibility of the media as well as availability

of media in the rural remote areas of the district

Nawabshah.

The print as well as electronic media has only

highlighted the child labour issues in the urban

areas at the large scale, such as the carpet

industries etc, but hundred of thousands children

have been involved in the laboring in the rural

areas such is the herding, cultivating the seasonal

crops, and other physical work, but the media is

deadly calm on these child rights violations, he

complained.

He appealed to the civil society organizations that

they should come forward to rescue the silent

slavery of the innocent children in the rural

areas, where there future and lives have been sold

by their greedy and uneducated parents, and also by


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the so called bourgeois class who always wants to

chain the poor community through economic

exploitation and getting the innocent children of

the proletariat class in under their cruel rule.

4. Recommendation

To launch awareness campaign for the child rightseducation especially in the remote and backward

areas of Nawabshah district,

To advocacy and lobbing for the child rights atthe local and district level with different

stakeholders

To advocacy with the parents regarding theemotional and socio-educational development areasof children especially of the rural area

To chalk out strategy to collectively combatcrime against children in the local area

To Sensitize and training of the school teachersfor the child rights and child development issues

in the rural areas

To establish a child rights watch group at thedistrict level to look after the violent

incidents and steps to control the violent act

against the children in the district.

Documents

Sangat Sindh Report on Seminar on Child Rights