Future trees are in trouble.
Children have same rights as human beings and also needs special care. Although every third person in Pakistan is calling himself vulnerable and ignorant but only one member of the country who truly fulfilled the definition of vulnerable or ignorant is child. But if we see any child calling himself ignorant or vulnerable must tagged as rebellion.
Children of Pakistan daily face many problems. Although one article is very short to cater all these problems but I’ll try to discuss some of these issues which are related with innocent members of the beautiful country named Pakistan. Every third child is being victim of child sexual abuse. This CSA is openly ignored in Pakistan and is stigmatized shameful thing. CSA is compromised of physical and oral . Physical form of CSA is known by everyone, in this child is physically abused, oral CSA in this child is torched through dirty words. This is only issue of child and no class ethnic group is excluded from this. Due to this, in household, local and national level there is no law or even no one talked about this issue. Even there is no official statistics that tell us how many children are victim of this CSA. Only NGOs gave the data of CSA. According to Sahil NGO (2004) 1567 , 2005 (1719) (that is based on the newspapers published cases and cases that they cater). Then we see the low rate of enrolment of children at primary level with high dropout rate According to UNICEF Primary school enrollment attendance (2005-2009) is 71 percent .The root cause of this, discriminatory school system; only high middle class and elite class children get the privilege of enjoying good schools. Those are according to their interest. Also some children are studying in madrassas those are not fuuly recognized by government .The result of this is can in some cases be in extremist children and be used in suicidal bomb blast or other extremist attitude.
Another disastrous problem is innocent children are kidnapped then used in begging, camel riding ,smuggling and selling of their organs. Many children are caught in the habit of addiction. Mostly baggers’ and hookers children are mostly in the addiction habit. Also those children that have ran away from their houses are also in this habit. According to UNICEF Infant mortality rate (2011) is 63.26.Also UNICEF reports (2004) approximately 40percent of total child population under the age of 5yrs suffered malnutrition. Pakistani children are caught in many diseases like diarrhea, leukemia, thalisemia and many diseases of bones etc. That are because of dirty polluted water and shortage of appropriate vitamins, calcium and dirty environment e.g. open holes gaiters and lanterns.
According to national survey on child labor (Pakistan)(1996) 3.6 million children were engaged in child labor. Many poor parents who hardly meet their end so they send their children for labour market. If some children have interest towards studying so they started studying as a part time. But this is rare. Also these children are tortured by their owners resultantly they caught in many diseases; physical and psychological. Due to this torture they are addicted into the disease of HIV-AIDs.
Early child hood marriages are also common problem in Pakistan. According to UNICEF (2000-2009) child marriages was 24 percent. But the ratios of child marriages are high. Also younger girls are tie n knot with older men in the name of different stereotypes Rasams e.g. wani Koon baha ,Garit etc.
After the recent flood 2010 many children are displaced from their houses and parents. The final number of affected people was determined: 20 million people, among them ten million are children. Many of still don’t have basic facilities. Even if some children of them are studying but now they can’t continue their education because of financial problems.
There are also many issues that impact on the personality of children. One of the major issues those can be seen in the problems is the rivalry instincts that children inherit from their forefathers. Like in the Northern areas, Baluchistan, FATA. In these areas children are taught to take revenge from enemies so the instinct of revenge destroys their personality. Also some lost their lives in suicidal bomb blast. Another issue is identity crises that divide children into split personality. For example relationship with real and step parents. Conflicts and dominating attitude in joint and extended family system. Pakistani parents who live abroad but when their children attain the age of maturity they comeback their homeland then their parents treat them as parents in Pakistan, quite different from the attitude abroad. Pakistani children are daily abused by the hands of their parents and teachers. Those trying to restrict their thoughts and freedom. Because of this children loss their self esteem, confidence, and become restless, split personality. Internet is putting fuel .Pakistan is a signatory of the UN convention of Childs rights. This convention was taken into force 2 September 1990. This convention is composed of 54 articles. After became the signatory of this, Pakistan according to these articles, should provide respect, dignity to child. should give appropriate environment according to their age. That is appropriate for their development should give legal protection. Moreover in first article the age of 18 should consider a child. Also they are free in their views etc. But after viewing the problems and some statistics it is proved that most vulnerable member of Pakistan is child. Despite the fact of signatory , government of Pakistan failed to fulfill these articles. Also failed to pass a bill solely for childs protection. Every time try to add all problems in special education bill. But thanks to local, national and international NGOs who desperately working for the protection of children. They have created awareness through animating video and books of CSA for child protection . also mobilizing masses about the child issues, newspaper through child edition different editors are trying to solve childs issues and also highlight different problems of children. Media is also seemed not be very much successful in solving child problems. Work of NGOs in solving children problems of Pakistan as hats off for their good work. But the solution of problems cant be solved solely by NGOs only, government should take initiative for the improvement of future trees. Should pass proper bill for child protection (CSA, violence at work place etc) should trained law implementing agencies like police towards this (how you treat them). Should provide part time classes for working children and with less working hours. Should provide free books and 500 rupees stipendper month, and law implementing agencies to implement laws strictly. Should provide discrimination free education system . Should ban those sites that are harmful for children. Children are innocent creature of the God that is passing through the period of physical changes. In this period they need our extra and careful care. We will hope best but after best struggle towards their development.
