Post-calamity situation: ‘Swat children need help, now’

Floods and militancy blamed for disrupting children’s education, health.

SWAT:

With a unanimous resolution to take more steps to collectively protect children’s rights in Swat in the aftermath of conflict and floods, a seminar organised by  Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) concluded here on Thursday.

The seminar discussed on health, juvenile cases, child labour and education.

Shaukat Saleem, an advocate and child rights activist, said that around 63 per cent of the 2.1 million population of Swat are children. He added that out of 183 missing persons, 87 per cent are children.

“Moreover, 300,000 children are going to school but their conditions are miserable, while 400,000 children are out of school,” he said. The out-of-school children are involved in child labour, begging and other negative activities.

During the seminar, lawyers offered to provide free legal aid to the 13 juvenile cases registered in Swat.

“To protect children rights, no organisation can work alone; it is collective process. After both disasters of war and floods, the situation of children has become very drastic, with thousands having become orphans or child beggars,” said Sparc Regional Manager Jahanzeb Khan.

“Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection & Welfare Act 2010 needs to be implemented in a practical shape and it is only possible if child protection organisations are set up at a district level where vulnerable children are protected. After the 18th Amendment, it is also important for all schools to enrol every child between ages 5 and 16,” he added.

Child Rights Committees Swat Coordinator Mohammad Akbar said, “We have provided medical aid to more than 2,000 children. There was a grim issue of child kidnapping in Swat so we called a conference of all line departments, which led to the recovery of 21 children from Landakey check post. We also initiated repair activities in 21 girls and boys schools while tents were provided to 28 schools.”

A total of 401 schools were destroyed during the militancy and more than 100 by floods.

Published in The Express Tribune, May 21^st, 2011.