In general, successive governments in Pakistan have shown little concern on issues such as child rights or human rights violations. It is therefore important to call their attention to this worst form of child rights violations being perpetrated against children in the tribal areas today.

Children as young as three years old have been convicted by name and sent to prison for crimes allegedly committed by their fathers and other extended family members. According to the official statistics, there are 49 juvenile prisoners mostly imprisoned under the collective responsibility clause of the notorious Frontier Crimes Regulations (FCR) 1901. This is excluding those who have crossed 18 years of age behind bars in different jails of the North West Frontier Province. Unfortunately, there are at least 15 children, girls and boys, who are less than 10 years of age wasting away their precious lives behind bars. They are being denied the right to a free, healthy and normal life as promised by the Country’s Constitution as well as by the Convention on the Rights of the Child.

Imprisoning infants and children is a total violation of all humane norms and is a blemish in the conscience of the government and the people. These violations of rights of the children and the meaningful silence of the people at the helm of affairs depicts the apathy of the government towards the tribal areas and demonstrates that as a nation we have become immune to meaningless deaths and gross violation of human rights.

Statistics shows that more than 42 million people in Pakistan are earning Rs. 1,800 a month. It is impossible to survive in such a meager amount and it is the children who suffer the most in such circumstances. More than 600,000 children, under the age of five years, die in this country; and more than 23 million children never see the inside of a school.

I think there is a vital need for overall awareness on issues including that of children. A particular, influential and elitist segment of the society is exploiting the rest of the population. Similarly it is shameful and deplorable the way children’s lives are being endangered in under developing countries and elsewhere in the world. We will have to make concerted efforts in every field to protect and safeguard the future of our children and make the world a safe and peaceful place to live.

P.S: Never doubt that a small group of thoughtful, committed citizens can change the world, indeed it is the only thing that ever has.