Failure to protect children

Despite repeated requests funding for provincial agencies that could raise levels of child protection has been ignored

Given the furore that has been raised by the rape and murder of two children in recent months, it might have been expected that provincial governments had upped their game in respect of child protection. This does not appear to be the case in Balochistan. It is reported that the Balochistan government lacks a range of data relating to child sexual abuse and violence, as well as deaths and deficits in a range of services, including health, that are contributory factors. A source in the Balochistan Child Protection Cell has commented that the provincial government has failed to release funds that are already allocated.

Perhaps matters will improve after a conference on Child Protection Case Management and Referral Systems in Pakistan which is being organised by the Balochistan government working with the UK Department for International Development. Unicef is also an organiser and presumably the irony of the situation outlined above is not lost on the organisers. All the departments working for child welfare and protection struggle for funding and support, and in a further bitter irony much of the child protection work is picked up in Balochistan by the much-reviled NGOs that have decades of institutional knowledge and experience.

Despite repeated requests the funding for the provincial agencies that could raise the levels of child protection has been ignored. The international agencies referred to above fill in the many blanks. Given that the provincial assembly approved the Balochistan Child Protection Act of 2016 which was subsequently endorsed by the Balochistan governor, it is a mystery as to why services have not clicked into gear. There appears to be no shortage of funds — but a lack of capacity, or political will, to spend them. Against this background it is difficult to reconcile the relevance of an expensive and high-profile conference on child protection infrastructure in Balochistan, and the prevarication regarding implementation of existing legislation and resources.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 15^th, 2018.

Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.