Panels formed for enrolling 40 million street children in schools

Federal Ombudsman Syed Tahir Shahbaz Wednesday said that committees have been established to protect forty million street children vulnerable to harassment and facing difficulties in getting education facilities across the country.
He was chairing a consultative meeting on "Role of Federal Ombudsman in resolving issues of women and children". The meeting reviewed the steps taken by Federal Ombudsman for 'vulnerable children' and discussed ways and means to devise a comprehensive plan related to the problems.
Talking to media after the meeting, Syed Tahir Shahbaz said that steps were being taken for the welfare of children with the cooperation of provincial government and provincial ombudsman. He said that a major chunk of population is leading a life that was below poverty level adding 40 percent of the share is children.
He informed that these children are facing various problems including harassment, maltreatment and inappropriate protection. He said that federal ombudsman has constituted various committees to address these problems.
Federal Ombudsman informed that a former Chief Secretary Ijaz Ahmed Qureshi has been appointed as National Commissioner for Children besides appointing Children Rights Commissioner in all the provinces. He said that UNICEF was cooperating with us in resolution of children's problems.
Ijaz Qureshi while briefing the Federal Ombudsman said that a Task Force has been constituted to address the problems of children and transgender. Open Kacheries have been arranged at school level besides training workshops conducted in federal and provincial capitals to create awareness about the issue.
He further said that a National Committee on Prisoner Reforms (NCPR) has been constituted under the chairmanship of Senator of S M Zafar on the directives of Supreme Court. Asma Jehangir and Mian Muhammad Hanif have been appointed as co-Chairmen of NCPR. The team during their visit to prisons in Lahore, Adyala, Karachi, Haripur, Multan, Mach, D I Khan and Faisalabad pointed out various problems of jails.
Qureshi said that Rs 44 million fines have been paid for release of the prisoners with the cooperation of judiciary, civil society and philanthropist. He said that MoUs have been signed with Chairman Higher Education, Comsats University, VC AIOU and Sweet Homes.
First Sweet Home has been inaugurated by Senator S M Zafar and Federal Ombudsman in Kot Lakhpat Jail in Lahore while the inauguration of Sweet Home was due in Adyala Jail in Rawalpindi. He said that National Book Foundation is providing free of cost books for prisoners.
Similarly, Vice Chancellor AIOU upgraded their libraries in central jail Adyala Rawalpindi and District Jail Quetta to improve the education level of the prisoners. Comsats University for providing books and beds for prisoners of Haripur jail and a computer lab would be setup soon in the said jail.