SPARC condemns child rights violations

Sparc condemns death of 18 innocent children, and wounding of many others in attack on mosque in Dara Adamkhel.

Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (Sparc) has condemned the death of 18 innocent children, and the wounding of many others in an attack on a mosque in Dara Adamkhel.

The mosque attack is a clear violation of child rights, the NGO said in a press release issued in Islamabad. The press release also mentioned the killing of an eight-year-old student in Miramshah in North Waziristan, reportedly shot dead during a curfew on October 31.

It also mentioned that the society denounced these violations in the strongest possible terms and urged the authorities to take positive steps to ensure that this vulnerable section of society was duly sheltered. Relentless killings of people, especially of children, at the hands of non-state and state actors alike are in direct violation of international human rights and humanitarian laws and Islamic injunctions, it said.

Sparc believes that it is imperative that the provisions of the international human rights and humanitarian law are observed so that children can lead a safe and healthy life. It demands that the country’s armed forces be trained on how to adhere to international laws while operating in the conflict-hit areas.

Published in The Express Tribune, November 15^th, 2010.