Children’s rights: ‘Legislation provincial govt’s responsibility’

Punjab government advised to establish commission on children’s rights.

LAHORE:

“After the 18th Amendment, it is the responsibility of the provincial governments to introduce legislation and policies to address the issues of children,” Syed Miqdad Naqvi, focal person for the Child Rights Movement Punjab, said on Tuesday.

He was addressing a seminar organised to highlight the role of media in reporting issues related to children. As many as 23 non government organisations are part of the Child Rights Movement (CRM).

Naqvi suggested that the government of Punjab establish a provincial commission on the children’s rights which, he said, should be given the mandate to review the laws dealing with children.

The commission should also be given the power to introduce new legislations and amend existing laws to address the children’s needs, he said. Another CRM-Punjab member Iftikhar Mubarak said that being a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC), Pakistan must ensure effective implementation of the UNCRC. Mubarak urged the media to take up the role of a facilitator in working towards the provision of children’s rights.

Journalist Tanveer Shehzad said it was necessary that civil society organisations should engage with the media to create awareness in this regard.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 1^st, 2012.