Dire situation: Is my child safe?
Parents, teachers stress need for child protection measures
Parents, teachers stress need for child protection measures. PHOTO: REUTERS
LAHORE:
A barrage of news reports detailing child abuse incidents in various parts of the province in the recent weeks has created a spectre of fear.
On August 19, a teacher at a home tuition centre in Green Town, was arrested for raping his students and photographing and filming them. Police claimed to have seized a cache of such photographs and films from his house. Several of the victims, all under the age of 13 years, told police that he had blackmailed them into silence.
As most private schools in the city reopened on Monday, several parents have expressed concern over the safety and security of their children in schools, colleges and privately-run academies in the city.
Tanveer Butt, a father of two, said the government should register private academies and create a database of them in order to keep an eye on those running such institutions. He said that anyone could put-up a banner and start an academy, but no information on them was gathered by any government body. He said law-enforcement agencies should keep an eye on private education institutions to prevent such incidents.
Rashid, a schoolteacher and an academy owner in Shahdara Town, stressed the need for a monitoring system in order to prevent such incidents from happening, especially at educational institutions.
He said it was not just the government’s responsibility but also a duty of the society as a whole. He urged the government to ensure monitoring at a union council level. He said people should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood to the authorities.
Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Director General Fatima Sheikh told The Express Tribune that, in order to curb the menace, the bureau had proposed amendments to the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Child Act 2004. She said according to the proposed amendments, culprits of child abuse would be severely punished and offenders could get life imprisonment or death penalty. She said there was a lack of awareness and victims were often persecuted. “Religious leaders can play an important role in terms of raising awareness.”
Shoaib, a parent and a teacher, said the society was responsible for allowing such incidents to occur. He said those responsible for committing such atrocities should be severely punished and parents should remain vigilant. Commenting on the private academies in the city, he said the government should define standard operating procedures for them and register all academic institutions.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2015.
A barrage of news reports detailing child abuse incidents in various parts of the province in the recent weeks has created a spectre of fear.
On August 19, a teacher at a home tuition centre in Green Town, was arrested for raping his students and photographing and filming them. Police claimed to have seized a cache of such photographs and films from his house. Several of the victims, all under the age of 13 years, told police that he had blackmailed them into silence.
As most private schools in the city reopened on Monday, several parents have expressed concern over the safety and security of their children in schools, colleges and privately-run academies in the city.
Tanveer Butt, a father of two, said the government should register private academies and create a database of them in order to keep an eye on those running such institutions. He said that anyone could put-up a banner and start an academy, but no information on them was gathered by any government body. He said law-enforcement agencies should keep an eye on private education institutions to prevent such incidents.
Rashid, a schoolteacher and an academy owner in Shahdara Town, stressed the need for a monitoring system in order to prevent such incidents from happening, especially at educational institutions.
He said it was not just the government’s responsibility but also a duty of the society as a whole. He urged the government to ensure monitoring at a union council level. He said people should remain vigilant and report any suspicious activity in their neighbourhood to the authorities.
Punjab Child Protection and Welfare Bureau Director General Fatima Sheikh told The Express Tribune that, in order to curb the menace, the bureau had proposed amendments to the Punjab Destitute and Neglected Child Act 2004. She said according to the proposed amendments, culprits of child abuse would be severely punished and offenders could get life imprisonment or death penalty. She said there was a lack of awareness and victims were often persecuted. “Religious leaders can play an important role in terms of raising awareness.”
Shoaib, a parent and a teacher, said the society was responsible for allowing such incidents to occur. He said those responsible for committing such atrocities should be severely punished and parents should remain vigilant. Commenting on the private academies in the city, he said the government should define standard operating procedures for them and register all academic institutions.
Published in The Express Tribune, August 25th, 2015.