The writer is a child rights activist
and development practitioner with a Masters in Human Rights from the London School of Economics. He tweets @amahmood72
Children’s right to health is an area that requires serious attention of the government of Punjab. The neonatal mortality rate is at high 63 per 1,000 live births in the province. Maternal mortality is 227 maternal deaths per 100,000 live births, higher than that of India, Sri Lanka and Yemen. The high rates of neonatal and maternal mortality are consistent with the high levels of malnutrition in the province.
Frontline health workers like lady health workers (LHWs), community midwives and vaccinators have a pivotal role to play in improving the above-mentioned health indicators of the province. However, following the Eighteenth Amendment and devolution of vertical programmes like Family Planning and the Primary Health Care Programme, the situation is challenging, particularly with reference to the LHWs. The LHWs were regularised following a Supreme Court intervention. But the posts are becoming vacant owing to fast resignations. The government of Punjab should respond to the situation by recruiting more LHWs from its own resources and making budgetary allocations for necessary supplies to reach out to the uncovered areas of the province. Similarly, the Punjab government should also take responsibility and start allocating resources to increase the number of community midwives. To be able to ensure that every pregnant mother has access to a trained birth attendant while giving birth, Punjab will require an additional 15,000 midwives.
The Punjab Protection of Breastfeeding and Child Nutrition (Amendment) Act of 2012 has been enacted and recently, an Infant Feeding Board has been notified to ensure its implementation. The government of Punjab should immediately notify rules under the Breastfeeding Act of 2012 to ensure effective implementation of the law.
Following the Eighteenth Amendment in 2010, child rights have become a provincial subject. However, there is no body with a statutory status in Punjab to take care of this huge responsibility and ensure that child rights are protected and promoted in the province. The Child Rights Movement Punjab launched an advocacy campaign for establishing a Provincial Commission on the Rights of the Child (PCRC). It was heartening to listen to Ms Saba Sadiq, chairperson of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, and Rana Sanaullah during a Universal Children’s Day function at Lahore where both assured the establishment of the Punjab Commission on the Rights of the Child through an act of the Punjab Assembly.
Punjab is also home to approximately six million out-of-school children and requires serious steps in accordance with Article 25-A of the Constitution whereby education has been made a fundamental right for children between five and 16 years of age. As a very positive development, the Punjab Assembly recently enacted the Punjab Right to Free and Compulsory Education Act 2014. There is a need, however, to notify the rules immediately besides allocation of sufficient financial resources to ensure its effective implementation immediately and to improve the poor conditions in government schools across the province.
Published in The Express Tribune, February 3rd, 2015.
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COMMENTS (9)
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Poor situation of child rights require urgent attention of government of Punjab. There should be an independent Commission on the Rights of Child with full authority of making accountable to everyone. Government of Punjab has established an infant feeding board for protection and promotion of breastfeeding, however practical steps are still missing for implementation of the law. Smarmily, Government of Punjab should also allocate adequate financial resources for implementation of provincial multi-sectoral nutrition strategy, increasing number of health workers ( LHWs, CMWs) and strengthening of routine immunization system in the province.
It’s really a matter of thinking why the Government is not taking any interest for the child rights in health and educational sector, the reason behind this is that they have no feelings for the poor community of country. They don’t have any obstructions in the deliverance of health or educational facilities of their own child, because neither have the problem of money nor authority.
In my opinion there must be a one kind of facility in education and health for each and every person irrespective of the status. The private health institutions must be banned totally so that each and every person have just access to the government hospitals only where a uniform treatment is to be given to everyone. Such like practice is also required in educational sector because the private schooling system is a discrimination with our kids and the government school kids are mostly the victims of frustration when they see the standard of the private schools kids. So the educational sector also needs to be given the attention and one syllabus is to be introduce through-out the country so that every poor child have the same right of education as availing by the children of the rich families.
Your efforts and struggle for the child rights in Pakistan are marvelous your continuous knocking the door of all key stakeholder will bring positive results, The Government trying to prove that GSP Plus requirement are accomplish, but I hope your article will help to establish the proper system of implementation of the laws and set the priorities for the vulnerable group not only in Punjab but in Pakistan . and the institution will work according to their mandates to ensure the eradication of bonded and child labour.
Your efforts and struggle for the child rights in Pakistan are marvelous your continuous knocking the door of all key stakeholder will bring positive results, The Government trying to prove that GSP Plus requirement are accomplish, but I hope your article will help to establish the proper system of implementation of the laws and set the priorities for the vulnerable group not only in Punjab but in Pakistan . and the institution will work according to their mandates . to ensure the eradication of bonded and child labour.
The writer is spot on in pointing out the gaps in the health system related to children. But i dont agree with putting more laws and laws without implmentation is a futile exercise. May be on legislation on children Pakistan might be one of the top country but when it comes to implementation Pakistan is worst. I think the writter and intellectual now need to shift there focus on results what these laws are producing and how strictly these laws are implemented. Lobying for enacting laws is not so difficult thing its not an end in itself but laws should act as mean to an end. so kindly stop raising louder voices for laws and legislation its time to focus on implementation of the laws
You are very right the situation in Punjab is worst since the era of Pervaiz Elahi is over, we didnot observe any major legislative step in the province. After the promulgation of Punjab Destitute Neglected Children act 2004 during last the chief minister, Punjab Government is continuously neglecting the issues related to Child rights and Child protection.
Baring few countries, child rights doesn't exits. Jews and Muslims both oppose child rights. Also before child rights Pakistan and India should be implementing women rights and that is only possible if constitution is secular.
countries which do not protect children's right can never move towards progress. I will go one step further and suggest to change our bringing up methods and introduce more comradeship with kids instead of authoratarian upbringing. I see in west that chilkdren openly disagree with parents. In fact have a right to participation in all matters relating to them. I know such a thing is considered an affront and punished in Pakistan. Those kids brought up with more understanding grow up to become responsible tolerant adults.