Protecting children’s rights in Pakistan

Event details

Learning from Human Rights Defenders

Pakistan is a signatory to the UN Covenant on the Rights of the Child, but the State has taken very few steps to make sure that children are protected. Pakistan is struggling with child abuse (both domestic and sexual), child labour, child soldiers and child victims of political, religious, sectarian, and gender-based repression.

Pakistan being a security state and hub of proxy wars has not done children any favours; they are constantly caught between cross fire and recruited by different non-state actors. They have to bear the cost of conflict and war often with their life. Children – being the most vulnerable section of society – are often those most at risk. Continuous policies driven by religious extremism and political policies of collective revenge are often targeted at children.

Urooj Fatima will discuss her experience as a journalist writing on children’s rights and what steps could be taken to improve children’s rights in Pakistan.

About the speaker

Urooj Fatima

Urooj Fatima is a Pakistani investigative human rights journalist focusing particularly on children’s rights. She has a BA in Journalism from Beaconhouse National University and has worked as a news presenter at Dunya Television and as an editor at Daily Pakistan Global. Her journalism has focused particularly on child abuse, juvenile prisoners, minority rights and extrajudicial killings. She has also volunteered at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan.