Call for legislation to punish child abductors, abusers

CII chairman says collective efforts a must to protect children

ISLAMABAD:

Council of Islamic Ideology (CII) Chairman has stressed the need for legislation to impose strict punishments in cases of child abuse and abductions to send strong message to the criminals and curb such crimes.

He was speaking at a seminar titled “Addressing the plight of missing children and the corresponding legal framework in Pakistan”, organised by Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) in collaboration with Roshni Research and Development Welfare Organisation, known as Roshni Helpline 1138.

The CII chief said that political instability and social discord create space for evil forces in society to easily commit various crimes, including child abductions and serial abuse. He further said that the high prevalence of illiteracy allows fake religious figures (peers) to prey on aggrieved parents and further add to their misery.

Dr Jahanzeb Khan, Director General of Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Agency (ZARRA) said that the agency is mandated to issues alert when a report for a missing child is made through PEMRA, PTA. He informed the audience that law-enforcement agencies are responsible to immediately lodge FIR for missing children and notify to ZARRA.

Read: https://tribune.com.pk/story/2449964/lhc-acquits-3-in-child-abuse-scandal

He highlighted that the law-enforcement agencies have notified 2,271 cases out of which 1,411 children were recovered. He maintained that child rights and child protection are shared responsibilities and any progress in these domain is not possible without the collective efforts.

Dr Syed Kaleem Imam, former Federal Secretary, stressed the need for addressing the root cause of the issue to ensure the safety of the children. He emphasized that understanding and addressing the underlying psychological and social causes behind such predatory behaviour is crucial. Strengthening of law-enforcement must go hand in hand with scaling up individual responsibility and cognizance. He also suggested the sensitization and capacity building of law-enforcement personnel, especially female police officers.

Published in The Express Tribune, January 13^th, 2024.