A good first step

On June 9, Pakistan ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Pakistan on June 9 ratified the Optional Protocol to the Convention on the Rights of the Child on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. It must be recalled at this point that Islamabad ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1990.

The ratification of the Optional Protocol is a step in the right direction, and must be commended. However, it must be pointed out that despite Pakistan’s initial support for a similar treaty, child abuse is still rampant across the country, as highlighted last year by the reported abuse and death of a 12-year-old female maid, at the hands of her employer, a lawyer. Sexual abuse of children is also a major problem, especially in the poorer circles, cases of which are rarely recorded, with one of the impediments being that most of the children targeted are already in vulnerable positions — perhaps already working for a living — while another is the cultural taboo attached to the issue. Moreover, a common sight is that of child beggars, young children who are never taught any better, with some of them badly disabled. Such children are also vulnerable to child prostitution and pornography.

Therefore, it would seem that when it comes to such treaties, the government is quick to ratify them, but their implementation may never happen. This is not to in any way take away from the major step by this government of signing this treaty, but now it must ensure that its requirements are put in place. One of the first steps should be to bring together the few individual efforts being made to better the situation of children, especially with regards to child labour, education, child sexual abuse, and the provision of associated health care and legal help in putting away the perpetrator of the crime. Another, and perhaps the most crucial step, is to bring awareness to the society on this issue, through the sustained efforts of the government, media and civil society.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 13^th, 2011.