The responsibility for the increasing incidents of violence against children rests on the failure of the state and calls for the civil society to take united efforts to bring it to an end.
This was stated by Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) Regional Manager Sajjad Cheema in a press statement issued at the end of weeklong activism to tackle violence against children.
Protection of the Rights of the Child Programme Officer Sobia John said incidents of kidnapping for ransom, early marriages, murders and sexual abuse are taking their toll in Punjab. According to the data compiled by Protection of the Rights of the Child, during the first five months of 2012, 122 cases of child rights’ violations were observed, out of which 40 were incidents of child sexual abuse, 14 were murder cases, while 22 were cases of kidnapping. 14 children faced corporal punishment, six children were given in early marriages and 13 deaths occurred due to medical negligence from January to May.
She stated that these violations also include child abuse, panchayat decisions, juvenile delinquency, death due to negligence, trafficking, suicide, health issues.
Sajjad Cheema said the improper implementation of the law was one of the major reasons for the rising crime rate against children in the country, adding that until the government made serious efforts, such incidents will continue to take place.
Cheema said children are the most vulnerable victims of violent behaviour.
He hoped that collective and collaborative efforts will compel the government to fulfill its international obligation regarding the United Nations Conventions on the rights of the child.
He said civil society organisations like SAHIL, Godh and Pachaan also played an important role and raised their voices for the protection of children.
