(SEVEN SUICIDAL CASES IN LAST SEVEN DAYS)
          CHILDREN’S DAY IS CELEBRATED ON VARIOUS DAYS IN DIFFERENT PART OF THE WORLD.IN PAKISTAN; IT IS MARKED ON 1ST JUNE AS CHILDREN’S DAY AND ON 20TH NOVEMBER AS UNIVERSAL CHILDREN DAY.THE DAY IS MEANT TO PROMOTE INTERNATIONAL FRATERNITY, HARMONY OF ACTION AND TO CREATE AWARENESS ABOUT CHILDREN RIGHTS.
         IT IS BOGUS TOPIC FOR MANY AS POLITICS IS THEIR CHIEF INTEREST,WHAT COMPELLED ME TO WRITE ARE THE SEVEN SUICIDAL INCIDENCES AMONG CHILDREN IN LAST SEVEN DAYS.FIRST, A 13 YEAR OLD MOHAMMAD RAZA OF KARACHI STRANGULATED HIMSELF JUST FOR FAILURE IN ONE SUBJECT WHEN HIS FATHER REFUSED TO SIGN HIS RESULT CARD.SECOND,MOBEEN OF ABBOTABAD DID THE SAME WHEN HIS TEACHER PUNISHED HIM FOR SPEAKING URDU IN SCHOOL.THIRD,A STUDENT OF SHEHZAD NAGAR ISLAMABAD ALSO PUT HIS LIFE TO AN END ON A PETTY ISSUE.FOURTH,IN VILLAGE CHANIAN DISTRICT CHINIOT,BROTHER AND SISTER RETURNED HOME,THERE WAS ONE AND A HALF BREAD TO EAT,THE BROTHER BEING POWERFUL TOOK IT AWAY AND THE DISTRESSED LITTLE SISTER SHUMAILA AGED 13 WENT TO A ROOM,SPRAYED KEROSENE OIL ON HER BODY AND BURNED HERSELF INTO ABLAZE.FIFTH,ABOUT 5 DAYS AGO,IN AN OTHER  INCIDENCE, A 15 YEAR OLD WAQAS WHO WAS WORKING ON A BOOK SHOP,RETURNED HOME AND DEMANDED SOMETHING FROM HIS PARENTS THAT THEY COULD NOT ACCOMPLISH.HE FELT AGGRIEVED AND KICKED THE BUCKET OF HIS LIFE BY SPRAYING GASOLINE ON HIS BODY AND THEN SET HIMSELF ON FIRE.SIXTH,IN DERA GHAZI KHAN A 12 YEAR OLD STUDENT COMMITTED SUICIDE.SEVENTH,LAST DAY,TWO LOVE BIRDS ATTA MOHAMMAD AND HIS COUSINE ZAITOON BIBI OF GHULAM WALA VILLAGE IN SARGODHA, CONSUMED POISONOUS PILLS AND BREATHED THEIR LAST UPON FAILURE TO CONTRACT MARRIAGE ? THEY HAVE LOST PATIENCE AND ARE BRIMMING WITH HASTY DECISION AND SPONTANEOUS ACTION THAT THEIR ELDERS EVEN DO NOT DARE.WHENEVER A CHILD DOES ANY THING WRONG,THREE PERSONS ARE TO BE BLAMED—PARENTS,ULEMAS AND TEACHERS AS THE ONUS OF CHARACTER BUILDING AND PERSONALITY DEVELOPMENT LAY ON THEIR SHOULDERS.WE HAVE TO REVISIT THE EFFICACY OF ABOVE THREE INSTITUTIONS.
      WHEN A MOTHER GIVES BIRTH TO HER CHILD, SHE INHERENTLY HAS MANY DREAMS, AMBITIONS AND FANTASIES FOR HER CHILD, HOWEVER, MANY TIMES, THE REALISTIC STRUGGLE OF DAILY LIVING OUT WEIGHS HER DREAMS AND SHE FINALLY SURRENDERS AND HANDS HER CHILD OVER THE MERCY OF RUTHLESS WINDS WHICH NOT ONLY SHATTERS HER DREAMS BUT ALSO GET WRINKLES IN THE BUDDING HOPE OF A NATION.KENNEDY HAS RIGHTLY SAID, “CHILDREN ARE THE WORLD’S MOST VALUABLE RESOURCES AND IT IS THE BEST HOPE FOR THE FUTURE”
    THE PLIGHT OF CHILDREN IS WORSE IN EVERY PART OF THE WORLD BY ONE WAY OR ANOTHER.CHILD ABUSE, A STATE OF MALTREATMENT, OCCURS EVERY TEN SECONDS AND ALMOST FIVE KIDS DIE EVERY DAY.IT IS THE INTENTIONAL USE OF PHYSICAL FORCE BY PARENTS THAT CAUSE CHILD TO BE HURT, MAIMED OR EVEN KILLED.IN PAKISTAN, IT IS A COMMON PRACTICE IN VILLAGES, WORKPLACE, AND IN MANY SCHOOLS.ANOTHER FORM OF CHILD ABUSE IS SEXUAL HARASSMENT.AS A ROUTINE PRACTICE, CULPRITS ARE FREELY TRAPPING CHILDREN TO MEET THEIR LUST.
       KENNEDY ONCE SAID, “A CHILD MISEDUCATED IS A CHILD LOST”AROUND THE WORLD, WE HAVE MORE THAN 100 MILLION CHILDREN BETWEEN AGE 6—11 WHO NEVER ATTEND SCHOOL.FOR WHICH UNICEF HAS USED TERM “SILENT CATASTROPHE”.IN PAKISTAN, EITHER CHILDREN ARE NOT SENT TO SCHOOL OR THEY LEAVE AT LATTER STAGE.THAT IS WHY DROP OUT LEVEL IS 80%.IN VILLAGES CHILDREN ARE CONSIDERED A LABOUR FORCE.CHILDREN ARE OFTEN FORCED TO WORK RATHER PROVIDED WITH AN OPPORTUNITY TO STUDY. IN PAKISTAN,NUMBER OF  "OUT OF SCHOOL" CHILDREN HAS REACHED TO 68 LAKH.AMONG THEM,ONLY 25% WILL REACH AT SECONDARY LEVEL AND AMONG THESE 25% ONLY 5% WILL ATTEND COLLEGES OR UNIVERSITIES. THAT IS WHY OUR LITERACY RATE IS STAGGERING AT 57.7% IN SPITE OF GOVERNMENT’S HECTIC CLAIMS.
     CHILD TRAFFICKING IS A MAJOR ISSUE OF CONCERN FOR THE ENTIRE INTERNATIONAL COMMUNITY AS 1.2 MILLION CHILDREN  ARE ANNUALLY BEING TRANSPORTED FROM POVERTY-STRIKEN COUNTRIES TO WEALTHIER-NATIONS.THE TRAFFICKING OF CHILDREN SOME TIME INVOLVE THE CONNIVANCE OF POVERTY RIDDEN PARENTS.THEY SELL CHILDREN TO TRAFFICKERS IN ORDER TO PAY OFF THEIR DEBTS OR GAIN MONEY.THIS PRACTICE IS PREVALENT IN WEST AFRICA WHERE CHILDREN ARE TRAFFICKED TO EUROPEAN COUNTRIES WHERE THEY ARE FORCED TO SLAVERY,PROSTITUTION AND EXPLOITATIVE LABOUR.SOME MINOR CHILDREN ARE EXPORTED TO THE ARABIAN PENINSULA, TO BE USED AS CAMEL BOY.
            IN AFFLUENT COUNTRIES, CHILDREN ARE OBESE OR OVERWEIGHT, IT IS ESTIMATED THAT 155 MILLION CHILDREN ARE OBESE THAT LEADS TO DIABETES BEFORE THE AGE OF 14 AND SHORTEN THEIR LIVE SPAN BY 17 TO 27 YEARS.EATING TOO MUCH AND NOT TAKING EXERCISE IS MAIN REASON OF OBESITY.
             IN POOR COUNTRIES, THE CHILDREN ARE UNDER FED.AFRICAN COUNTRIES HAVE TEEMING WITH SUCH MAL NOURISHED CHILDREN.IN PAKISTAN 42.6% CHILDREN ARE UNDERDEVELOPED: 15.1% ARE LACKING REQUIRED ENERGY; 31.5% ARE UNDER WEIGHT AND 62.5% ARE ANAEMIC.
             THERE ARE 100 MILLION STREET CHILDREN IN THE WORLD WITH NO ROOF TO SEEK SHELTER AND THEIR NUMBER ARE CONSTANTLY INCREASING.HOMELESSNESS IS CHIEFLY AN URBAN PHENOMENON, FORCING THEM TO LIVE IN STREETS, KIOSKS, TENTS, ETC.
             CHILD LABOUR IN ANOTHER POINT OF CONCERN, CHILD LABOUR LAWS DOES NOT ALLOW ANY CHILD YOUNGER THAN 15 YEAR OLD TO BE EMPLOYED. BUT ON GROUND, 246 MILLION CHILDREN ARE WORKING IN THE WORLD. IN PAKISTAN THE SITUATION OF CHILD LABOUR IS ALARMING.THE HUMAN RIGHT COMMISSION OF PAKISTAN ESTIMATED THAT 11 MILLION CHILDREN ARE WORKING IN PAKISTAN, HALF OF THEM ARE UNDER 10 YEAR OF AGE.THE GOVERNMENT HAS PASSED MANY LAWS TO CURB CHILD LABOUR BUT THEY ARE OPENLY DEFIED AND MILLION OF CHILDREN ARE WORKING IN BRUTAL AND SQUALID CONDITIONS.
        THIS HORRIBLE SCENARIO HAS DRAGGED THE CHILDREN TO A LEVEL OF DISTRESS WHERE THEY ARE NOT RELUCTANT TO GIVE AWAY THEIR LIVES.THE LAST WEEK’S SEVEN SUICIDAL INCIDENCES HAVE CLEARLY EXPOSED OUR UTTER FAILURE IN HEALTHY REARING OF OUR CHILDREN.THE ERADICATION OF CHILD ABUSE,CHILD LABOUR, CHILD TRAFFICKING,CHILD OBESITY,MALTREATMENT,MALNOURISHMENT,HOMELESSNESS, WILL PROVIDE A RUDDER TO KEEP THE SHIP OF “NATION HOPE” ON AN EVEN KEEL.THE PROVISION OF COMPLETE DIET,HEALTHY ATMOSPHERE,PROPER EDUCATION,PLAYING FACILITIES,FRUITFUL COUNSELING AND RESPECTING THE CHILDREN IS THE ONLY WAY TO ASSURE OUR HOPE OF GLORIOUS FUTURE.A  NATION CAN ONLY SURVIVE THE PERILS OF TODAY BY INVESTING IN NATION FUTURE AND MEETING THE OBLIGATION OF THE CHILDREN.IT IS TIME TO THINK JUDICIOUSLY, WE HAVE ALREADY DELAYED.FAMOUS URDU POET MUNEER NIAZI HAS RIGHTLY SAID, "HAMESHA DER KAR DETA HOON MAIN" AND BE AWARE ALL DELAYS ARE DANGEROUS!.
       
 Friday, June 1, 2012