Advisor to Chief Minister Sindh for Social Welfare Ms. Shamim Mumtaz has said that role of police was crucial in providing protection to children in case of need; however, police gives no importance to such cases and added that she has sent letter to Inspector General Police Sindh to depute six SSP rank focal person for child issues at divisional level in the province.
She said this while talking to two member team of Social Policy Research Center Australia comprising Professor Ilan Katz and Mr. Imtiaz Ahmed who called on him at her office on Tuesday. Secretary social welfare Sindh Altaf Ahmed Bijarani, Additional Secretary Muhammad Essa Memon , Deputy Director child welfare Fozia Masoom and other officials were also present.
She informed visiting team that PPP top Leadership was taking keen interest in issues of children and report on the issues of children were sent to PPP leadership on regular basis. She said that Sindh government had allocated Rs. 200 Million in current year budget for Sindh Child Protection Authority whereas provincial finance department has released Rs. 50 million recently. She said that at present 15 child protection units were also functioning in Sindh. Child protection Units in Karachi, Hyderabad, Khairpur , Sukkur and Ghotki were supported by Unicef; Shaheed Benazirabad, Larkana and Dadu centers were supported by Devcon while Child Protection Center in Mirpur khas , Tando Muhammad Khan , Badin, Sanghar , Jacobabad, Kashmore and Shikarpur were being run by Social welfare department with its own resources.
She further briefed that Street Children Rehabilitation Center was being constructed in Karachi and its two units would be completed by next month. She said that free medical checkup and various screening test of children will be started on regular basis in 15 schools run by social welfare department. In this regard, she has spoken with provincial health minister. She said that Sindh was only province of Pakistan where Sindh Child Restraint Act was passed where by 18 years minimum age for marriage has been set up.
Earlier , Team Leader Professor Katz briefing about the aim of their visit, said that between 2011 -12 , UNICEF supported partner organizations to asses and map the national child protection systems in four countries of South Asia including Bhutan, Maldives , Nepal and Pakistan. After passage of five years UNICEF has appointed team to review and conduct survey of this system in each country to find out what changes have occurred in the child protection systems. He appreciated the keen interest of political leadership of the party in solving the issues of children in the province adding that political will was key to addressing children issues. Later team visited Child Protection Unit Shanti Nagar Karachi and collected required information.
