KARACHI:
A child in Pakistan may be beaten at home, abused at school or forced to work, and still have no safe way to ask for help. This is where our child protection system fails. In other words, children are not always protected when they need protection most.
Consider a child who tells a teacher about violence at home. Will the teacher know whom to contact? Will anyone check whether the child is safe the next day? Will the family receive help, or will the child be sent back into the same situation? These are the questions that matter more than official claims about children’s rights.
Pakistan has laws to protect children; however, laws alone cannot protect a child. Many families do not know where to report abuse. Some stay silent because they fear shame, threats or pressure from relatives. Poor families may depend on the very adults who harm their children. In such cases, reporting abuse is not easy, and leaving home may not be a safe option.
Provincial governments must give child protection departments enough trained staff to respond to complaints and visit children at risk. Every school should have a trusted adult children can approach without fear. Police, hospitals and schools must work together so that no child is left to seek help alone. A child should not need public attention or a tragedy to receive protection. The real test is when a child speaks, does anyone listen and help?
Muhammad Shahjahan Memon
Islamabad
