Wafaqi Mohtasib, UNICEF set up child complaints centre

Independent institution to receive complaints from children whose rights are violated by a federal ministry or dept.

ISLAMABAD: The Wafaqi Mohtasib and the United Nations Children’s Fund (Unicef) have collaborated to evolve an independent institution that will receive complaints from or on behalf of children whose rights have been violated by a federal ministry, department or agency, The Express Tribune has learnt.

The Children’s Complaint Office (CCO) a new institution established along the lines of a child ombudsman, will entertain complaints at its head office in Islamabad and eight regional offices across Pakistan.

“The issue of child rights has been neglected for years and in a country like Pakistan, where there is so much potential, children cannot be ignored,” said Ejaz Qureshi, who is an adviser to the office.

Child rights were identified as an issue in the UN Convention in 1990. “It has been 20 years since then but nothing concrete has come forward,” Qureshi said.

Pakistan has made attempts at securing child rights but not much has been achieved so far. “A plan of action was approved by the federal cabinet in 2006 but implementation is still pending,” Qureshi said. A steering committee was also formed, which included stakeholders, federal agencies and civil society organisations. However, committee members remain concerned about the lack of a legislative framework and delays in adoption of laws that are instrumental to the implementation of the convention.

However, according to the department, the 18th Amendment will increase the responsibility of the provinces, which will lead to greater challenges as provinces neither have the funds nor the capacity to tackle the problem. “It will take time, and we need to stay committed,” said Qureshi.

He stressed the need for not only collaboration between federal departments but also political involvement, which he believes is essential to secure the rights of children. “There is dire need for political commitment. Women parliamentarians need to commit and there is a sufficient number of them. Even if a few of them step up, we can make a huge difference. We need to build a pressure group to take this matter forward,” he said, adding that laws would remain on the shelf but implementation of policies and the role played by politicians will move the matter forward.

Of all the provinces, Sindh remains the focus of the cell. “The scale is large and we need to gear up in Sindh,” Qureshi said.

However, apart from individual complaints, the CCO is also addressing systematic issues which are the root cause for these complaints. “We are making federal agencies and ministries accountable for their policy and legislative action,” Qureshi added.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 12^th, 2010.