Kasur incident: Marriyum proposes change in syllabus to prevent abuse

• Urges for collective efforts against child abuse

ISLAMABAD: Minister of State for Information, Broadcasting, National History and Literary Heritage Marriyum Aurangzeb said that subjects concerning such social issues, like child abuse, shall have to be made part of the curricula from Class-I to Class-X, as these vices can only be tackled through such steps.

Participating in a debate on the Kasur incident in the National Assembly on Friday, she said such incidents cannot be prevented with passing resolutions only.

The information minister said that all the major political parties had their governments in respective provinces but none of them had made this subject [child abuse] part of the curricula of the schools.

She reiterated that a resolution in this regard must include the need for change in the syllabus in the traditional and non-traditional education system.

The minister said that apart from a change in the education system, the legal system should also be reviewed.

Marriyum Aurangzeb minister said that it was “none of their [government] concern if such incidents happened in other countries, but their objective was that such incidents should not happen in Pakistan. She said that religious scholars (Ulema) could play a very effective role in this regard and they should talk on this subject in their sermons in the mosques.

The minister said that it was good that media accorded coverage to the incident, but it was also important to remove the ambience of fear and anxiety within the society.

She said that persons committing such heinous crimes should be awarded harshest possible and exemplary punishment, adding that the Punjab government and police were taking all necessary steps for the immediate arrest of the culprit.