The Executive Director, Search For Justice, Mr. Iftikhar Mubarik and Director Legal, Mr. Atif Adnan Khan represented GNRC–Pakistan in a national television talk show to discuss matters peace and conflict resolution in Pakistan. The two were invited to a live panel discussion in Lahore News on 17th October 2018 to share their opinions and strategies on ending all forms of violence against children.
The need to develop sustainable policies and allocate resources for child inspired programs was discussed during the show. Panelists shared the urgency for the government to include the young in decision-making processes. They noted that as stakeholders of the community, children and youth have a say on how things should be run.
It was noted that child labour is a modern form of slavery and it infringes on the children’s rights to education and play. Participants called on the Punjab Government to put necessary measures to prohibit this abuse. Issues of child sexual abuse were discussed during the live session with examples of cases from across the country were cited.
Participants commended the great efforts made by government in upholding child rights but they noted that more needed to be done to end violence against children, including creating awareness, educating the community and formulating relevant laws targeting offenders. The importance of including key stakeholders such as parents, teachers and faith leaders in social protection and development schemes was cited as a great step towards peace building in the country.
Participants looked into best practices of promoting peace from a faith perspective. It was realized that all scriptures promote the sanctity of life, and protecting and securing children who are our future. Participants were hopeful that new political government would pursue the setting up of a robust Child Protection System in Pakistan.
Search For Justice aspires to take part in such peace and development dialogues in 2019 to inspire and educate the public on preventing violence against children in Pakistan.
