Tag: child rights

  • Saba Qamar joins UNICEF as Pakistan’s first national ambassador for child rights

    Saba Qamar joins UNICEF as Pakistan’s first national ambassador for child rights

    Actress Saba Qamar has been appointed UNICEF’s first national ambassador for child rights in Pakistan.

    The announcement was made on the International Day of the Girl Child, on October 11 2024.

    Saba said, “I am honored to join UNICEF and support their mission to ensure every child’s rights.”

    Abdullah A. Fadil, who is serving as the Representative for UNICEF in Pakistan, tweeted: “Delighted to announce that Saba Qamar will join the UNICEF family as the first National Ambassador for Child Rights. Together we can make an even bigger difference in the lives of all children in . Welcome onboard @s_qamarzaman Thank you for sharing your powerful voice.”

    While talking to Independent Urdu, Qamar said, “I have been in Karachi for three days now, and I visited a place where I met young girls, children, and women. I was happy to see that UNICEF has done a lot of work there, providing proper medicine and education. However, I still feel that these children need clean water and a safe environment. For this, I need the support of my nation and my people. When we work together, we can bring about change.”

    The Serial Killer actress emphasized the importance of using her voice and platform for positive change, stating, “I believe we, especially as actors, are blessed people. Allah has given us everything, fame, name, and most importantly, a voice that people look up to. They want to see us and hear from us. If we talk about these issues and want to bring about change, they will support us.”

    Saba also highlighted the urgent need to change the mindset surrounding child marriage, particularly in regions like Sujawal (Sindh).

    “At this stage, children need love, security, and a sense of identity. If you marry off a child at this age, what will happen to her future? After a year or two, these girls become pregnant, and they face various complications during pregnancy that only they understand”, Qamar added.

    Saba also said, “I met a girl named Anam who told me she was about to get married, there was a fire in her eyes, and I was so impressed by how UNICEF is raising awareness and educating these children. They are providing education centers, medicine, and teaching about good touch and bad touch, among other things.”

    However, Saba acknowledged that many more areas in Pakistan need support and change saying, “I am happy to see how many girls are coming forward. Each girl represents a society, a family. When we educate one child, imagine how much change we can bring to society. I have seen a group of girls who had confidence, a fire in their eyes, and a desire to bring about change. They understood the difference between right and wrong, good and bad touch, and even spoke English. I was impressed that such positive change could happen in a small area like Sujawal.”
    In Pakistan, child marriage is a major problem, with around 19 million girls married before the age of 18. Many of these girls faces serious health risk due to early pregnancies.

    Across the border, Bollywood star Kareena Kapoor has also been appointed as UNICEF India National Ambassador for Child Rights on May 4, 2024.

    Here is the tweet shared by Abdullah A. Fadil:

    Here is the post shared by Saba Qamar:

  • Dulha arrested for child-marriage in Faisalabad

    Dulha arrested for child-marriage in Faisalabad

    A groom has been arrested on the charge of child-marriage in Satyana area of Faisalabad.

    According to the local police, the accused had married a 10-year-old girl two weeks ago.

    The local police say that raids are being conducted in search of the young bride, while they are also searching for the nikah-khawan, witnesses, and the father of the bride — all of whom are to be arrested

  • Autopsy reveals 10-year-old Fatima died of physical injuries

    Autopsy reveals 10-year-old Fatima died of physical injuries

    The post-mortem report of 10-year-old Fatima has been released, while the final post-mortem report has been submitted in the court of Judicial Magistrate, Ranipur.

    According to the autopsy report, Fatima died due to head and chest injuries, and she was not provided any treatment after being assaulted which eventually led to her demise.

    Marks of torture on her arm have also been identified.

    Fatima’s case

    A domestic maid, 10-year-old child Fatima Phuriro, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur.

    The child had been working as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.

    Fatima’s mother, Shabana, was informed about the death by the employer who asked her to remove the body from the premises where two of Fatima’s sisters were also employed.

    According to DIG Sukkur Javed Jiskani, the parents initially did not share the facts of the case with the police and claimed that the girl was suffering from gastroenteritis. While her diagnosis was also confirmed by Dr Abdul Fatah Memon who treated her, the DIG revealed that Fatima was taken to the hospital either by the Pir or his staff and that the SHO was present at the time she was pronounced dead.

    It was not until videos of the child were leaked by an unknown source and circulated in social media that the case caught the media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.

    The body was later exhumed and sent for an autopsy which revealed that the girl had been raped both vaginally and anally.

  • ‘Hum 2 Humaray 100’ dedicated an episode to teaching children about consent

    At a time when television is littered with misogyny and misrepresentation of women and their issues, it is heart warming to witness shows like ‘Hum 2 Hamaray 100’ take the lead in creating awareness about social issues.
    The show recently broadcast a poignant scene where they recognized the rights and responsilibities of children in Pakistan.
    A grown adult sits down with children in a room and teaches them about the good touch/ bad touch concept. She explains to the children that if any adult, aside from their parents touches them without their consent and makes them feel uncomfortable, then they must immediately tell their parents.
    The writer, Syed Zain Raza, shared the clip on his Instagram account, and in the caption he wrote that because of a rise in rape and sexual assualt cases in Pakistan, he felt it was necessary to teach children about body autonomy and learning to say ‘no’.

    “GOOD TOUCH / BAD TOUCH

    In this episode of Hum 2 Humaray 100 we tried to talk about an extremely important topic that is more prevalent than ever, but we rarely see conversations around it. Our children are unsafe in parks, schools, neighbourhoods, transit, and sometimes even their homes. This is why they need to know about good touch and bad touch. They need to know when they are in danger.

    If we don’t have these conversations with them in a positive way, then someone else will have them in a negative way. Children should be taught about bodily autonomy and what to do if they feel threatened, scared, and uncomfortable around an adult. They need to be told that they will not get in trouble for telling their parents and that it is never their fault.

    I was really glad that the channel allowed us to talk about this sensitive topic without any censoring and/or dictations. And most importantly, thank you to my director @angelinemalikofficial who allowed me to go ahead and write about all these topics with her full support! It is a boon to have a progressive and woke director in a time like this.”

    In the comments section, social media users applauded the show runners for addressing a sensitive topic in a gentle and uncensored manner, which would help more parents and children watching this show learn how to communicate with each other regarding matters of bodily autonomy.

    Activist and makeup artist Leena Ghani praised the writer for bringing such an important topic to mainstream channels and dealing with it in a sensitive way.

    “Such an important conversation about consent and done with so much sensitivity and care. Well done Zain. This is the kind of content and awareness we need,” she wrote.

    Another user recalled the impact this scene had on her mother, that she went on to give the same guidance about consent to her neices.
    “Mother was watching this scene on TV and it impacted her so much that right after that when nieces came she needed to explain this to them. Quite powerful ”