Shaukat Hayat Buneri
TO begin with the incidents of child abuse have witnessed an upward trend in parts of our country. Especially during the recent past these incidents have increased with an alarming pace and proportion in Sindh and Punjab. Even the provinces of Khyber Pakhtukhwa and Balochistan have no exemption.
The recent incident of the brutal murder of Marwa Bibi, an innocent 8-year old child girl in Karachi sparked widespread protests across the country and shook the conscience of every faithful citizen of Pakistan. The national, international media including human rights organizations – also highlighted the gruesome murder of the flower like child while the political and social circles of the country equally condemned this act of barbarism in pressing words.
It is pertinent to note here that Marwa, actually belongs to Salarzai area of Buner district of KP and her family is settled in Karachi for a long time. Due to this reason the residents of Buner district have also expressed their deep shock and sorrow over the gruesome murder of this flower. All the social and political circles of the district condemned this heinous crime committed by the foes of humanity.
Now the question arises that why are these gruesome incidents of child abuse, rape, sexual harassment, kidnapping for ransom and heinous crimes of murder of innocent children occurring so frequently in a society which stress upon the need to protect and preserve -the rights, honours and dignity of children and women the most. Islam teaches us to treat children and women with love and affection. However we have turned a deaf ear and blind eyes to protect and safeguard their rights and honour in society.
Unfortunately, injustice and discrimination found in our education sector is stated to be one of the main causes for the occurrence of such incidents in society. For example from early childhood, an unbearable burden is put on the shoulders and back of the innocent child in our society. Such as going to school, maktab, and tuition centre are the combined tasks to be accomplished by a child at all costs.
The parents also forcibly sent their children to study in maktab and tuition centres after school timings, which in turn negatively affects the bodies and souls of our children. From dawn to dusk, the children reluctantly get absorbed in different sorts of learning activities and finds no opportunity for leisure and entertainment in the whole period of their childhood, which is certainly an open and total exploitation of our children in society.
Due to these very reasons our children are passing through severe mental stress and agony all the times. It is also the prime duty of the state to provide all sorts of facilities to their students in schools. The school management should practically be capable enough to equip the students with both Islamic and modern tools of knowledge and learning process. There should also be proper and a practical system of check and balance in schools.
The school management should be thoroughly equipped to provide security to the children. As against the parents must also be held equally responsible to focus more on their children and let not put them on the mercy of their teachers and schools management alone because children are our real assets and future leaders. They must be given some opportunities of pleasure to groom and develop as healthy citizens. Moreover, effective campaigns should be launched to create awareness among the public regarding the curse of child abuses and discrimination prevailing in the society. It is indeed a big issue which should be inculcated in the minds of every civilized citizen of the state.
—The writer is freelance columnist, based in Buner KP.