NCRC to start working within two months: official

ISLAMABAD: The National Commission on the Rights of the Child will start working within two months after receiving nominations from provinces.

“According to law, six members, one each from each province, Islamabad Capital Territory and Federally Administered Tribal Areas, would be part of the commission for which we have sent letters and waiting for their nominations,” said the Ministry of Human Rights International Coordination Director General  Muhammad Hassan Mangi .

Speaking to the media he added that they are actively working on the establishment of the commission and expecting that the nomination would be received within two weeks.

He informed reporters that the paperwork of the commission is complete and after receiving the names of members according to the criteria described in the law, the case will be forwarded to the cabinet for approval.

The law described that six members will also include two women and one from minorities, all having experience of not less than ten years of work in the field of child rights.

Besides, two children one boy and one girl not below the age of 15 years should also be part of the commission.

He said that the ministry has granted a time span of six months to draft rules and other documentary requirements of the commission, adding that “We have completed all the work before the time and now waiting for names only”.

Commenting on the Kasur incident he said that a delegation of MOHR visited Kasur when the first case of child abuse was reported few months back and directed to establish a ‘Child Protection Centre’ to protect younger generation and ensuring counseling support to victims and their families.

But, he commented, the centre is not established yet. Unless exemplary punishments are granted to the culprits, such crimes will not be controlled.

He said the main issue is to bring behaviour change among people to secure future of our children.

For the purpose he said, the ministry has conducted a number of training session for the departments concerned who deal with such cases while a number of other training sessions are also in pipeline.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 18^th, 2018.