Autaq no more: Building community centres prohibited

The Sindh government has imposed the ban because it felt they were being misused.

KARACHI: The Sindh government has banned building community development centres because it felt they were being misused. According to Sindh Minister for Social Welfare Nargis ND Khan, the government found that several of these centres were being used as autaqs. Once the ban is lifted, the government can look into establishing these again. There are also three Child Protection Units in Sindh that work as a ‘referral mechanism’ for children who have been abused, been subjected to violence or been abandoned in Karachi, Hyderabad and Sukkur, and there are plans to develop these in other districts. Nargis ND Khan told the Sindh Assembly on Tuesday that the units were being run by Unicef with government support and can be reached through a helpline – 1121.

Published in The Express Tribune, August 8^th, 2012.