http://sparcpk.org/publications/The_State_of_Pakistan%27s_Children_2009.php

[ISLAMABAD, 3 June 2010] - Children in Pakistan continue to bear the brunt of poverty, illiteracy, poor governance and corruption, terrorism and militancy, according to The State of Pakistan’s Children 2009 issued this week by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC).

According to the report, the wave of internal displacement in 2009 caused by Taliban attacks is ‘the single largest population movement recorded since the country's inception’. Children in Swat witnessed some of the most brutal acts of the militants and some six hundred thousand children are reported to have missed up to a year of school as a result of the conflict.

In spite of this grim situation, the report details some positive developments. The number of children in detention has dropped from an estimated 4,000 to approximately 1800-2000 at any one time. A 90 per cent increase in the pre-primarly school enrolment has also been recorded.

Speaking at the launch of the report, Executive Director of SPARC Mr Arshad Mahmood said that this was an opportune time to ask the government some difficult questions:

“We have to ask the State what has been done in the past 20 years to ensure all children enjoy their basic rights. We need to know why it is taking so long to legislate for children; why budgetary allocations for child centred programmes remain at bare minimum levels; and why there is still no statutory body to protect and promote children's rights in Pakistan.

Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child in 1990 and committed to align its national laws and policies with the provisions set out in the Convention. Successive governments have failed to fulfil this promise, says SPARC.


Further information

• Pakistan: Silent Shrieks - A Situational Analysis of Violence against Street Children in Karachi (Initiator for Human Development Foundation, May 2010) 
• Concluding Observations of the Committee on the Rights of the Child for Pakistan's 3rd and 4th report (October 2009)

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Organisation Contact Details:

Society for the Protection for the Rights of the Child
House 151-B, Street 37, F-10/1
Islamabad, Pak
OR
P.O. Box 301, Islamabad

Tel: + 92 51 2291559 - 2291553
Email: ed@sparcpk.org; pme@sparcpk.org
Website: www.sparcpk.org

Last updated 09/06/2010 09:02:19

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