As part of efforts to curb child abuse, the government plans to launch the Zainab Alert mobile application as part of the Pakistan Citizen’s Portal today (Thursday).
This was announced by the Federal Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari on Wednesday while addressing the concluding session of an awareness and sensitisation campaign for child protection committees in the federal capital.
"The government recognises the gravity of the issue of child abuse in Pakistan, and it is one of our primary areas of priority,” said Mazari, adding, “It is critical to raise awareness and build understanding among communities about the rights of children as well as state laws and mechanisms for prevention and protection of child abuse.”
The federal minister added that on Thursday (today) the Zainab alert application will be launched on the Pakistan Citizen's Portal as part of efforts to further the enactment of the Zainab Response and Recovery Act 2020.
“Citizen's are encouraged to take the issue of child abuse seriously, and to report incidents on helpline 1099,” the minister said. Earlier, the awareness and sensitisation campaign against child abuse concluded at the office of the National Centre for Rural Development in Bani Gala.
The session had engaged over 130 participants and representatives from three Child Protection Committees of Bhara Kahu, Bani Gala, and Taramri and included children, parents, teachers, civil society representatives, police officers, activists, community leaders and media personnel.
The campaign, organised under the Human Rights Awareness Programme of the federal human rights ministry, had engaged a total of 15 child protection committees across the federal capital for raising awareness on child rights and prevention of child abuse in different suburban communities of the city including in Kohsar, Sector I-9, Sector I-10, Meherabadi, Bari Imam, Shah Allah Ditta, Golra, Tarnol, Saidpur, Sohan, Muslim Colony and Chungi.
Published in The Express Tribune, October 15th, 2020.
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