Firefighting vs. Child Protection Systems

The fact that we will have only 4,213 cases of child abuse in 2023 is an insult to common sense and arithmetic. Some 26 million children are out of school; 3.3 million are involved in child labor; 1.2 million beg on the streets; and one in four households employs children as domestic helpers. These are brutal statistics that define the extent of child abuse, neglect and cruelty in our society. The situation is made worse by lukewarm, ambiguous and contradictory laws that would absolve the rich of any crime in exchange for a compensation deal with the victim’s family.

How long will we continue to treat all reported cases of child abuse as if it happened for the first time in Pakistan? Why are we reluctant to create systems that work on their own, without the intervention of powerful people, media or celebrities? When will we understand that Child Protection and Fire Fighting are the names of two different departments? Why, even after 30 years of ratification of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC), has there been no nationally coordinated system for child protection, case management and referral in Pakistan?

Against this backdrop, a group of dedicated volunteers, who have been working on the issue of child protection for the past few years, have come together to define, document and propose an integrated child protection system. It includes all the processes, actions, responsibilities, training, case management, registrations and audits that are essential to implement a holistic child protection system that can be implemented in all regions and provinces of Pakistan.

The proposed system is a set of laws, policies and processes that work together proactively to prevent, respond to, protect and safeguard children from abuse (physical, psychological, sexual), neglect and exploitation, including child labour and trafficking. It is based on four key pillars: a) Documenting a set of processes, policies, plans and rules; b) Implementing the documented child protection system; c) Monitoring and auditing; and d) Periodically reviewing to evaluate the effectiveness of the system and taking steps for continuous improvement.

The proposed child protection system introduces many new concepts that have already been successfully adopted in developed countries. It defines ‘duty to report’ as a crucial element of a child protection system. Currently, Pakistan’s police, hospitals, schools, families, professionals and citizens have no obligation to report an incident of child abuse. Pakistan could make a huge impact on child protection by declaring ‘duty to report’ for cases of child abuse as a mandatory requirement for all citizens.

The role of Child Helplines has been redefined from simply receiving calls, recording them in a register and doing nothing to implementing a completely new automated, accountable and traceable case management system. The role of the police has been expanded to include mandatory response when a situation of child abuse is detected and where necessary registering an FIR, without any external individual or agency requesting this. The coordination between the police, child protection officers and magistrates has been fully described, along with a description of the type and extent of training required for each officer.

The proposed Child Protection System also includes an internal audit process based on the international audit standard ISO 1901 – a process that is completely lacking in almost all government departments. Any child protection system, no matter how comprehensive and inclusive, would not be complete or effective without mechanisms and means for internal audit, management review and continual improvement. The proposed system not only covers all these aspects, but also defines Key Performance Indicators for continuous performance measurement and improvement.

The rape and murder of Zainab, Maham, Fatima and hundreds of other unknown innocents who have never been reported in the media are not just tragedies. They are systematic cases of barbarism. They represent our aversion to documented, traceable, digital and accountable systems. We could make a quantum leap in protecting our children by adopting and implementing a rational, humane and holistic child protection system.