(May 31, 2012) In Pakistan, children demonstrated against child abuse outside the
Lahore Press Club on Wednesday. More than 150 children demonstrated against child
abuse in the country in an event organized by the Society for the Protection of the
Rights of the Child - SPARC. Protesters wore masks and carried placards bearing cuttings
of newspaper articles about child marriage, suicides of rape victims and the kidnapping
of minors. SPARC started the campaign in response to news reports of five teenage
suicides in different parts of the country in May. “The increasing depression, desperation
and dilapidation in society is making children mature before their time,” said Sobia
John, a program officer on violence against children at SPARC. “We are having a serious
lack of information of the next generation. This is a very dangerous trend.” SPARC
says rising incidents of kidnapping for ransom, early marriage, murder and sexual
abuse against children in Punjab province must be stopped. “We demand immediate legislation
on these practices. Equally important is to promote non-violent values through public
education and awareness,” said Sajjad Cheema, regional manager of SPARC, in a press
statement. “The increasing violence and oppression of the weakest and most vulnerable
members of our society requires effective measures at many levels,” Cheema added.
SPARC says that 17 cases of violence against domestic child workers have been reported
since January 2010, while UNICEF says about 7.3 million primary school-aged children
do not attend school.