Protection of children under common conditions is already a big ask in our society. However, child protection in emergencies is much more difficult and raises a host of serious issues. Children are prone to exploitation in emergencies, while the concerned government departments don’t have well-defined and easily executable strategies to defend the children against abuse, exploitation, and violent behaviour.
According to Unicef’s news release, 2.5 million children have been affected by severe monsoon floods in Southern Pakistan. The affected people, particularly children, are facing the challenge of preventing themselves from the fast-emerging diseases such as cholera, diarrhoea, malaria and fever, besides viruses and infections, there is also an alarming increase in waterborne diseases and allergies due to unsafe water and unhygienic conditions. There are immediate needs to reach children with clean drinking water, sanitation and hygiene messages as well as provide additional health services to prevent disease outbreaks.
Women are already severely anemic and will be more prone to complications during pregnancy and delivery. The pregnant women and newborn babies living in the open air remain are exposed to malaria and other syndromes. The lives of all the camp’s residents are at threat due to unhygienic conditions, the unavailability of appropriate food and clean water. The floodwater has not moved away from districts of Sindh and the stagnant water has become a breeding ground for swarms of insects.
There is also threat of various mafias, who have expanded their activities and IDP children are being forced into begging and other crimes; trafficking of children of displaced families may accelerated and children may fall prey to sexual abuse in camps. Children have been neglected in terms of having access to relief services concerning health and hygiene.
Simultaneously, to the utter misfortune of children, Pakistan is one of the countries where children’s protection is not on priority of either society or the state. Because in spite of our commitment to international community to implement the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), we have so far made little progress towards legislation to translate them in our national laws and policies. However, just commitment of personnel is needed to turning mismanagement into successful governance. The state needs to be vigilant towards issues of children in order to avoid the post-disaster losses to the coming generation. I strongly make plea to the authorities to put children, women and elderly people at their top priorities during relief activities.
RAJA SHARJEEL HASSAN SOOMRO
Karachi
