Call for protecting rights of children

Advisor to Chief Minister Punjab, Begum Zakiya Shahnawaz has said that children are a precious national asset and protection of their rights is responsibility of the government. She was speaking at the launching ceremony of the project of protection of rights of children engaged in cotton picking in cotton-growing areas of Punjab, arranged by child protection wing of social welfare department with the co-operation of UNICEF, here on Thursday.
Experts of the concerned departments and institutions, provincial secretaries, EDOs, DOs, journalists and representatives of international welfare organisations were present. Begum Zakiya said that protection of the rights of children is essential as they are the future of Pakistan and social welfare department and other welfare organisations are playing a commendable role in this regard. She said that the aim of the project is to safeguard the rights and provision of facilities to children engaged in cotton picking in South Punjab including the areas of Rahim Yar Khan, Bahawalpur, Bahawalnagar and Rajanpur.
She said that poor people living below poverty line are compelled to do labour work along with their children in the scorching heat. She said that the parents cannot even think of sending these children to school due to poverty. She said that there was a need to educate children and provide them a friendly atmosphere in schools so that they could become useful citizens of the society. She appreciated the UNICEF project and assured that social welfare department would provide all-out co-operation for its success.
Earlier, Secretary Social Welfare Sardar Akram Javed informed the participants that the aim of the project jointly launched by Social Welfare Department and UNICEF is to assess the needs of these children in the cotton growing areas, provision of services, protection of their rights and evolve planning for their bright future.
UNICEF representative on child protection Mannan Rana highlighted the aims and objectives of the project. Director General Social Welfare Malik Aslam gave a detailed review of the aims and objectives of the department and its social services. He said that the department was not only protecting the rights of children with the co-operation of social welfare organisations but the special institutions have also been set up for the oppressed segments of the society, aged persons and women which were playing an important role in their rehabilitation.