Assistance offered to Sindh in building child protection systems

Punjab Child Protection & Welfare Bureau (CPWB) Chairperson Sarah Ahmad has said that she is fully committed to assisting the newly elected Sindh government in the best possible manner to build systems and institutions required for protecting thousands of street and other vulnerable children in the province.

The CPWB head said this while talking to The News on Monday after becoming the first recipient of Pakistan’s International Woman of Courage Award by the United States. US Ambassador to Pakistan Donald A Blome presented the award.

Sarah’s main claim to fame is the complete rehabilitation of 5,000 child abuse victims, and building a network of shelter homes across Punjab for lodging, protecting and educating 1,200 shelterless children at a time.

“I’m always available to assist the relevant authorities in Sindh, including the officials of the Sindh Child Protection Authority, for the immediate rollout of similar systems for the care, upbringing, education and revival of a large number of street children in the province.”

She said she has complete understanding of the grave problem that thousands of vulnerable children, even in Karachi, despite it being the largest city of the country, do not get any institutional support for the protection of their rights, safety and rehabilitation.

“Unfortunately, the mechanisms and institutions are yet to be built for child safety in Sindh, and I’m keen on fully supporting the provincial government’s drive to this effect.” She added that the institutional systems for child protection in Punjab should be replicated elsewhere in the country so that millions of vulnerable children across Pakistan are protected from abuse. “I’d be glad if I could play an active role in this noble mission as part of my national obligations.”

She also said that street and other vulnerable children in Sindh should get services from child psychologists, psychiatrists, career counsellors, educators and skill developers as are available in Punjab under an institutionalised mechanism.

She expressed gratitude to all the relevant state and government institutions for their full support to her drive to protect vulnerable children from abuse, as in pursuit of her mission the CPWB had to deal with mafias and gangs involved in crimes, drugs and child exploitation.

Some of these mafias that operate in small cities and towns in Punjab are connected with international criminals creating highly disturbing content for the dark web through sheer abuse and exploitation of vulnerable children.

“First the conferment of the top civil award Tamgha-e-Imtiaz by the Government of Pakistan and then the announcement of the prestigious Pakistan’s International Woman of Courage Award by the US have renewed my pledge to continue working for the protection of vulnerable children in Pakistan,” she said.