PESHAWAR: Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCP&WC) with the support of UNICEF conducted a two-day workshop for consultations of stakeholders and children to develop a comprehensive Child Protection Policy for the province.
The workshop was chaired by Zia Ul Haq, Secretary for Social Welfare, Special Education and Women Empowerment Department and facilitated by a team of consultants from Oxford Program Management (OPM), said a press release issued here on Thursday.
Ijaz Muhammad Khan, Chief Protection Officer, KPCP&WC in his opening remarks said that the commission has drafted a comprehensive Child Protection Policy for the protection, welfare and wellbeing of children living in KP province.
The objective of the policy draft is to provide direction to all relevant government departments and institutions for ensuring the prevention and protection of children from violence, abuse, neglect, exploitation and harmful practices within their mandates, he told.
He also appreciated the participation of all relevant government departments, institutions and other stakeholders and urged them for meaningful participation in review of the Child Protection Policy draft and providing their inputs for its necessary revision and finalization.
Sohail Ahmad, Child Protection Specialist from UNICEF shed light on the objectives of the two-day workshop and its importance for developing a comprehensive Child Protection Policy for the province. He highlighted that the policy should be developed within the framework of the United Nations Child Rights Convention ratified by Pakistan on the 20th November 1990 while using the rights of children to protection as a parameter for defining its intent and objectives.
He also emphasized on the need for making the policy inclusive of children in KP so that no child is excluded from access to his or her fundamental rights, protection and wellbeing. He also highlighted the process of developing the policy and appreciated that draft policy has undergone initial revisions in light of the Technical Working Group (TWG) led by Social Welfare Department.