Conditions of children in Pakistan

More then Eight million Children suffering malnutrition, 3.5 million  in Pakistan.
Pakistan offers worse conditions for children than any other country in South Asia, partially because the government has failed to implement legislation and international conventions which would improve conditions for children, according to a study by several children's rights organisations.

Poverty, bad drinking water, physical and sexual abuse and child trafficking are among the areas where society and the government have failed to establish good conditions for children, according to the study. Statistics substantiate the study's claims. Nearly 8 million children, or 40 percent of the total population of children under the age of 5, suffer from malnutrition. About 63 percent of children between 6 months and 3 years have stunted growth and 42 percent are anaemic or underweight. Poor nutrition leaves these children vulnerable to diseases. Poor conditions extend to the education sector. About 23 million children in Pakistan have never been to school.

The United Nations Human Development Report for 2003 indicates that the youth literacy rate in Pakistan is around 58 percent, among the lowest in the world. Sexual abuse is another problem. According to statistics compiled by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan, 111 children were abducted in Punjab and raped, sodomised or ransomed in 2003. Sixty-nine first information reports were registered, but only eight victims were recovered and only six suspects were held.

Edhi Foundation sources said there was an alarming 30 percent increase over the previous year in the number of children running away from home. Over 10,000 children below the age of 15 were living on the streets and footpaths of Karachi alone. Most of these children said they left home because of domestic violence and family financial problems, said the Edhi Sources.

According to a report by Amnesty International, there are more than 4,500 juvenile prisoners in Pakistani jails and 66 percent of them are under trial. Juvenile detainees are kept with adults, leaving them vulnerable to sexual and physical abuse. The government has been accused of not implementing the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance, which calls for the end of capital punishment for convicts under 18. Poverty also forces some poor families to let children work instead of attending school.

According to the United Nations Children's Fund, about three million children under the age of 14 and 18 percent of children between the ages of 10 and 15 are working. Pakistan's Federal Bureau of Statistics places the approximate figure of child labourers at 3.5 million. Child labourers are often found in the carpet weaving industry, brick kilns, mining industry. They often work for 10 to 12 hours every day. Trafficking in children is another form of commercial abuse. The Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid estimates that at least 360 children were smuggled to Arab countries in 2003 for use as camel jockeys. Many cases were not reported. In some cases, impoverished parents sold their children for around Rs 3,000 to 7,000 per month. These children were illegally sent to the Arab states to work under extremely harsh conditions. According to some reports, the children were deprived of food and water to keep their weight down prior to the race and some children were beaten for refusing to mount a camel. The

Prevention and Control of Human Trafficking Ordinance 2002 has very little impact and not a single conviction has occurred under this ordinance so far, the study reports. To change the prevailing conditions, the study recommends the implementation of existing legislation and international conventions and more specific laws to check the smuggling of children. Rights bodies have also called for legislation to prevent the sale of children by impoverished parents and punishments for runaways.

The study was done by organisations including the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan,
the Society for the Protection and Rehabilitation of Children
and the United Nations Children's Fund.

 [Source: By Mohammad Kamran, Daily Times]
Asian Human Rights Commission
[ACR Weekly Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 16 (21 April 2004)]