ISLAMABAD:Chairperson of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, Punjab, Sarah Ahmad Tuesday, has demanded the government to establish a long-term national policy aimed at providing a systematic and sustainable framework for the rehabilitation and empowerment of the street families in the country.
Talking to a private news channel, she said that the purpose of the policy is to provide clear guidelines for the rescue, reintegration, and re-socialization of street children, adding that over 15 lakh children are living on the streets of Pakistan presently.
CPWB has chalked out a rehabilitation plan for all of the categories of street children, she added. She said children are our assets and the most vulnerable segment of our society, adding that the protection of children is a responsibility of the state.
The work done by the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau in this regard is highly sensitive and challenging.
mentioned. “We are striving hard to eradicate child neglect, child abuse, and domestic violence against children”, she further mentioned.
She said that the only government department rescuing destitute children and working to eliminate violence against children should be private NGO’s, adding that private NGO’s should come forward and play their role in rescuing these vulnerable segments of society.
Replying to a question, she said CPWB was playing an active role in the rehabilitation and empowerment of ‘Street Child’ to marginalized in cultural spheres to claim their status as fully participating members of society.
All segments of society and all stakeholders should collectively play a role in the protection of child rights and implement reforms that will have an ever-lasting impact, she added. With the support of the government, our aim is to expand this department to all districts of the country and request everyone to support us in this cause, she said.