International Street Children Day: 1.5 million children in Pakistan live on the streets
Marked on April 12, the International Street Childrens Day highlights the issues which these children face. Photo: AFP
(Dunya News) – Pakistan has approximately 1.5 million street children, out of which, 94 % are boys and the rest 6 % are girls, according to a survey. While International Day for Street Children is observed globally on April 12 in a bid to generate awareness and take steps to protect their rights, Pakistan has a long way to go in addressing the sufferings of these children.
According to the survey several reasons have been cited for children living on the streets. Of these 1.5 million children, 56 % run away due to domestic violence, 22 % have left madrassahs and schools and the other 22 % work to support their families.
Speaking to Dunya News, some of these children said they were out on the streets due to poverty and to support their families. On signals and on major intersections, several young children are found selling various items, vulnerable to all sorts of crimes and diseases.
The International Street Children’s Day is being observed since 2011. The day is marked on April 12 to highlight the issues faced by these children living on the streets, voicing the concern for their rights.
Almost all countries have signed and ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of Child that focuses on making and enacting laws that would protect the rights of a child but most of the governments do not pay heed to include the rights of street children in their policies.
For more on this, watch a report by Dunya News below.
