[:en]By Asim Shahzad
LAHORE: With the support of Human Appeal, an international charity organization, Search for Justice, a local child protection-focused civil society organization, is providing essential services to children and young people, especially girls, through the Aminah Protection & Learning Centre for Street Children and Youth.
These services include basic education, primary healthcare, psychosocial support, vocational training, and assistance in starting small-scale businesses. Since 2021, Human Appeal has supported Search for Justice in engaging and empowering children, adolescents, and young people living in street situations in a suburban area of Lahore.
The project currently provides non-formal and basic education services to around 100 children daily in a safe, inclusive, and child-friendly environment. Here, children not only learn textbook content but also have opportunities to demonstrate and develop their skills. Human Appeal and its partner organization, Search for Justice, strictly adhere to the Protection from Sexual Exploitation & Abuse (PSEA) policy. Additionally, a comprehensive Child Safeguarding Policy and Code of Conduct are followed by all staff, volunteers, and associates working directly or indirectly with children and other community beneficiaries. Search for Justice has established a robust and accessible reporting mechanism, developed in consultation with children and other community groups, ensuring that any concerns or issues can be promptly addressed. The safeguarding focal person regularly arranges orientation sessions on PSEA and child safeguarding for the staff to maintain high standards of safety and protection.
One of the salient features of the Human Appeal-supported initiative is the formation of community-based child protection committees. These committees, comprised of parents and other community notables, promote greater vigilance at the community level for child protection. Search for Justice regularly arranges capacity-building sessions for these community groups to mobilize and organize actions to enhance the protection and well-being of children. As a priority, community members are also given opportunities to visit and meet various government officials, such as those from the Child Protection & Welfare Bureau, National Commission for Human Rights, and Social Welfare & Bait-ul-Maal. These exposures help them understand the institutional arrangements made by the government for the welfare of children, enabling them to access these mechanisms in difficult circumstances.
The vocational training programs at the Aminah Protection & Learning Centre also support young girls from local communities, particularly those who are victims of child marriages, widows, divorced, single mothers, and school dropouts.
The project fully recognizes children’s right to play in line with Article 31 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child. Consequently, various recreational activities, such as sports, indoor games, and exposure visits, are arranged for the children and the young girls. Ms. Tahir also shared that in the next phase, with continued support from Human Appeal, the project will extend to another local community. This expansion aims to serve more children and community girls, helping to bring them from darkness into light.
Mr. Nadeem Ashraf, a member of the National Commission for Human Rights (Punjab), recently visited the Aminah Protection & Learning Centre. During his visit, he toured all the sections and interacted with the children and girls participating in the vocational programs. Mr. Ashraf assured that the Commission would be pleased to support any child or community adult in accessing public sector services related to child protection, social protection, health, and vocational services without any discrimination. He praised Human Appeal and Search for Justice for initiating this community-based project, highlighting its importance given the current socio-economic conditions of the country. Mr. Ashraf acknowledged the project’s significant impact and the urgent need for such initiatives to uplift and empower vulnerable communities.
Iftikhar Mubarik, Executive Director of Search for Justice, highlighted that the project supported by Human Appeal aligns with the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child and the Sustainable Development Goals. He underscored that this initiative ensures children can exercise their fundamental rights without discrimination.[:]