Government urged to include child abuse law in curriculum

Members of opposition parties in the National Assembly urged the government on Friday to ensure strict implementation of relevant laws on child abuse and include the subject in curriculum for child protection and awareness of the society. The House deferred business of the day in wake of rape and murder of Zainab Ameen in Kasur on Tuesday last and members were allowed to speak their heart out on the horrific incident.
Speaking on the floor of the House, Leader of Opposition Khursheed Shah termed the Kasur incident a failure on part of the Punjab government, accusing the government of not taking appropriate measures to ensure safety of the citizens. Shah said that the Parliament must pressure the government to do its job and protect the people. He also said that child abuse is not only limited to Kasur, but is widespread throughout the country.
"Had the government taken action on such incidents in the past, this tragic killing of Zainab could have been avoided," he said, adding that law enforcement agencies are capable enough to arrest the culprit. "Public should keep their trust in the Parliament, otherwise the situation may lead to chaos and anarchy," he said, adding that the people would start taking the law in their own hands if swift remedial measures are not taken.
Responding to the points raised by Shah, Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs Mohsin Shah Nawaz Ranjha urged all political parties not to politicize the issue for political mileage as these issues are not limited to only Punjab province. "Life sentence for culprits of heinous crime is not enough, we need to hang them through capital punishment for the crimes like rape," he said, adding that all parliamentary parties should come together and pass an effective legislation to curb sexual crimes against children.
He admitted that such incidents are widespread, saying that this prevalent problem in society must be tackled. "We should remember what happens in KP, Sindh, Gilgit-Baltistan and Balochistan. Instead of politicizing this incident, we should focus on passing effective laws to curb these crimes," he said.
Ranjha called for public execution of those responsible for such crimes and suggested that sexual crimes be made a part of the Anti-Terrorism Act. Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) member Dr Shireen Mazari said that such incident surfaced in Kasur in the past too but no culprit was arrested despite the police getting leads in some cases.
"This is the 12th such case in the area. Police had leads, they had a DNA match in at least five cases and yet, no action was taken to arrest the culprits," she said. She also criticized Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah's statement who had said that "a child's safety is the parents' responsibility."
"This is the most callous statement that an official can give," she said, adding that not only the police fail to arrest the culprit, but they also shot protesters who came out on the streets to demand justice. Mazari also proposed to the Speaker to set up a parliamentary committee to look into the issues of child abuse across the country and ensure implementation of the relevant laws in such incidents.
Speaking on the issue, JUI-F member Naeema Kishwar Khan counted a list of child abuse incidents in both Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa provinces, saying these incidents cannot be curbed till the strict implementation of relevant laws. Muttahida Qaumi Movement-Pakistan member Kishwer Zehra said the laws to curb child abuse are already in place, there is need to ensure their implementation. She urged the government to include the child abuse subject in syllabus to create awareness amongst the children about the issue.
Minister of State for Information and Broadcasting Marriyum Aurangzeb suggested that all provinces should take steps to introduce the child abuse issue in their respective curricula as the subject of education stands devolved after the 18th constitutional amendment. "Religious clerics should play their role in curbing the crime by issuing edicts on it," she said. Speaking on the same issue, Minister of State for Interior Talal Chaudhry that usually close relatives, neighbours and teachers have been found involved in such incidents and some suspects have already been arrested in the Zainab's rape and murder case.
He said that opposition parties have been inciting unrest and protests in Kasur in wake of the incident and three separate FIRs have been registered against those involved in rampage. Jamaat-e-Islami member Sahibzada Tariqullah and Ali Muhammad Khan of PTI also spoke on the issue.