Even a cursory look at our social landscape reveals the extent, intensity and cruelty of child abuse in Pakistan.  From homes, work places, prisons, schools, to streets and brothels, children are routinely sold, enslaved, murdered, and abused in most sordid ways. More alarming is the fact that child abuse is not only prevalent but rising despite the fact that Pakistan has ratified the Convention on the Rights of Children (CRC).  According to data collected by some Non-Governmental Organizations (NGOs) 679 cases of child sexual abuse was reported in 2002.  This number rose to 1,788 (526 boys, 1,262 girls) in 2003. By the year 2007 the number had risen to 2,321 (31% boys, 69% girls). Put differently, 3.6 children are being sexually abused daily in Pakistan. It is generally acknowledged that the real number could be much higher because such issues are taboo and not easily reported.

Sexual abuse is often accompanied by murder. According to one estimate 71 children were murdered after sexual abuse during the first six months of 2005.  Other forms of physical abuse, malnutrition, illness and death of children remain common.  Of the estimated 10 million children in the labor force at least 70,000 live and work on the streets across the country. 

Child protection has been at the heart of SEHER's mission since its inception in 1998.   In the last three and half years our efforts have gained urgency and momentum.  During 2005-2007 SEHER launched three programs to alleviate child abuse. In this regard following efforts were made:

In addition, SEHER organized numerous campaigns, training/sensitization workshops, and several related activities in various institutions and localities.  Given this vast and varied effort we have built several partnerships, alliances, and networks for better implementation, enhanced awareness and capacity building.

Intigrated Child Rights Program (Juvenile Justice)

Government of Pakistan introduced and instructed the provincial Government to ratify and implement the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance (JJSO). Although most of the provincial Governments ratified the rules, yet all the provincial Govt either did not established borstal Institution or formulated the rules or both as well as either virtually lacks the full-fledged reclamination department or not completed the required number of probation and parole officers nor they are well trained, even for the intermediary period (as Borstal Institution need resources as and time as well  period  appointed and nor Jails are turned into better place to provide a conducive environment for the juveniles. Even in most of the cases the innocent children come out of the jails as a professional criminal. There is absolutely no system for their education, growth and development. 

Apart from the naïve juvenile prisoners whose fear of coming out as professional criminals always lurks, another segment of children who get birth in jail due to their mother’s imprisonment are at higher risks of becoming criminals.

A gloomier aspect of this entire story is that these juveniles are exposed to the sexual exploitation in prisons at the hands of adult prisoners. Even in some of the cases due to lack of space in the jails and Government’s lack of interest in construction of separate Boatel houses, Jail Authorities put 18 to 25 years old age group prisoners with the juveniles, which puts the Juvenile at high risk of sexual exploitation. It is reported that Sabzposh (informer) and some of the elderly juveniles rape the new comer in the barrack and later on compels him to have sex with all those whom Sabzposh and his group want. In this way child gets mental trauma, develops psychological problems and inferiority complex.

Violence, abuse, negligence, exploitation and discrimination remain a threat throughout the life cycle of the juvenile prisoners. Lack of consistent pursuance of existing limited jail reforms, overburdened and insensitive judicial system, lack of efficient coordination among jails and Interior and foreign ministries/departments are all the factors which make the prisoners more vulnerable. Access to a transparent and speedy justice remains a dream for many. In most of the cases these factors act as exploitative tools forcing the prisoners to spend double or triple time in the prisons even after completing the actual imprisonment timing.

Apart from inherent problem in the investigation, judicial process and mistreatment of the prisoners in the jails, one of the most critical elements is orthodox jail manual. The Jail Manual has many loopholes and gaps which puts the prisoners in extreme vulnerability.

Violation of Human/children’s Rights is also visible at state institutions level; lack of proper coordination between different state institutions and century’s old judicial and police/jail systems. Procedures have become tools in violation of Human/Children’s Rights.  The ultimate victims of the inefficiency and rottenness of the procedures are the prisoners.

SEHER’s Rehabilitation Efforts:
SEHER has taken a proactive step to improve the juvenile condition and develop a support system at jails in Balochistan by initiating a comprehensive program with the name of “Rehabilitation of Children in Conflict with Law”, in May 2005 which was further spread to Quetta and Gaddani. (Read More)

Demonstrating Elimination of Child Labor through Awareness Raising and Education (DECLARE)

The Plight of Child Labour in Balochistan
Balochistan is the poorest province of Pakistan; comprising 44% of the total area of Pakistan it is the largest province 63% of the population lives below the poverty line  and 24 out of 27 (at the time of assessment there were 27 districts but now there are 29 districts in Balochistan) while population living in high degree of deprivation standards starts as high as 88%  districts are the poorest of the country . The province economically depends on agriculture, livestock and in coastal areas on fishery. It has experienced droughts and negligence in regard to infrastructural and social development  which continues to subject the common man mainly children at risk of basic survival. There are no industrial opportunities or any other economic activity  that can absorb the local population.

The critical condition of Mass poverty has resulted in mass child labour in the province, due to which a lot of children who want to attend school are utterly unable, because they cannot bear the expenses  or are not in a position to quit work as their and their families’ survival is dependent on their income.

Quetta being the capital of the province is the only urban area of the province, a large number of working children both from the refugee community and local community are engaged in motor garages, hotels, vegetable markets, working as hawkers, shop keepers, driving donkey carts, carpet weaving etc. These children involved in the workforce are more exposed to various kinds of abuse than those going to the educational institutes. The situation of child labour resoundingly asks for most immediate and practical actions, which if faltered at this crucial stage may entail damaging results. One can see the results, thousands of innocent souls on street working in different field including motor garages and/or in its related work and exposed with all kind of abuse and exploitation. SEHER decided to intervene in the motor garages in May 2005 and help children working in the motor garages, live a life of dignity through demonstrating elimination of child labour through awareness raising and education (DECLARE)

Categorization of Children working in Garages
Working on the Rehabilitation of children working in different work places (irrespective in hazardous or non hazardous labor) is very sensitive and complex one, which need very clear understanding of the issue, situation and exact steps to be taken to rehabilitate them. A insignificant error in the judgement may take the implementing agency very far from the rehabilitation, even may prove in the institutionalization of the child labor.

First and foremost thing for SEHER was to understand the conceptual difference between interchangeably used terms of child labour and working child and secondly understanding the main source, from where they filters and lands in the work places. In this regard very intense brainstorming sessions and consultative meetings were held within and outside SEHER with various stakeholders base on which SEHER was able to conceptually define (functional definition) the difference in the light of CRC and keeping the specific social structure and level of poverty in Balochistan in consideration. (Read More)

Commercial Sexual Exploitation of Children and Child Trafficking
Poverty , Negligence , traditional thinking  which results in culture of silence and abuse environment, in the education institution  and blind faith based on cultural norms and practices  are contributing factors in increasing phenomenon in commercial sexual exploitation of children. This phenomenon in commercial sexual exploitation of children. This phenomenon increasing in all over the province rapidly, but is more visible in Quetta  - the provincial capital and on verge of extreme height in Gwadar  - a coastal district of Balochistan. 

SEHER’s first study of Quetta City in which city is divided in nineteen clusters revealed an astonishing fact that boys were more prone to becoming sexually abused than girls in this particular societal set up. These incidents took place in the vicinities of Cinema centres, video game centres and shops and small hotels. These boys forced to work are then lured into commercial sexual activities for easy money and other charms or are blackmailed into it .

While SEHER’s second study on sexual exploitation of children in Gawadar , level and effect of sexual abuse and exploitation in coal mines of Balochistan  and most recent assessment of quantum and intensity of commercial sexual exploitation of children in Quetta city  revealed that the situation is very gloomy, children’s situation is very miserable, perpetrators are roaming every where without any fear or shame, parents and other primary care givers are ignorant, sex business is at boom, pimps are very openly supplying children to their clients, number of spots are from each spots hundreds of children move and go with their clients, there are some houses also from where not only children are being supplied to the clients, but clients also visit these houses/places to get sexual satisfaction, which can be called brothel houses.

One of the shocking aspect of these all is wide range of “Acceptance” in terms of indifferences from the issue, like out of 17 spots one of the spots is not only in the heart of the city, but in the most famous and busy shopping plaza, According to the analysis around 20000 to 25000 people visit this place every day, while those who pass from the surrounding (from surrounding the third floor quite exposed) where the spot is and, every body can easily see children moving here and there and perpetrators suspicious movements) is in million, but none of them never made it point.

One can give benefit of doubt to those who either visits the plaza for shopping or other purpose or to those who passes through and in the surroundings that the many not have noticed it (although it is very difficult or accept out of millions, a single person has never noticed it) but hundreds of shopkeepers, who daily observes this inhuman act but never made it point. This attitude is not only contributing in flourishing of the cruel act but it is also multiplying and heading to another areas of seasonal sex workers. 

From May to August, seasonal sex workers visit Quetta. Around 80 to 150 seasonal sex workers per year land in Quetta. They are from different parts of Pakistan particularly from Lahore, Karachi and Peshawar. Over half of them are above 18 years, but around half, who accompany the above 18 are young boys. They come in groups of 4-5, consisting of above 18 and young boys, those who are above 18 play dual role, on one hand they act as pimp for the young boys, while where possible they also provide sexual satisfaction to some specific clients.

Most of the seasonal sex workers children stay in three hotels of Quetta city from where either they move with the clients or serve them within the hotels. Interestingly, their rates are far more higher than the local sex working children due to their physical appearance and way of presentation.

Unfortunately, commercial sexual exploitation of children the worst form of child abuse has not yet been identified as an issue in Balochistan. The threats of violence, abuse, negligence, exploitation and discrimination constantly lurk throughout the life cycle of children. But our societies in general and families in particular are in acute state of negligence and silence in the face of these major obstacles to survival, protection, growth, development and participation of the children. This culture of silence and negligence has already entailed numerous problems and has further intensified child vulnerability.

The challenge today is not only to change the way these issues are perceived and ensured timely actions, but also to break this heinous culture of silence and negligence. We have to take the issue more seriously and much more openly, in the meetings, forums, assemblies and the parliament. This is the issue that asks for most immediate and collective actions.   (Read More)