Pakistani PM reaffirms commitment to protecting children's rights_china

World Children's Day also marks a commitment to listening to the voices of children, adolescents and young people as they demand to be heard on issues that matter to them and ask to be part of the solution.

The Universal Children's Day 2020 was held at Manipur Press Club, Imphal today. It was first celebrated in 1954 as Universal Children's Day to promote global togetherness and awareness among children worldwide, and for improving children's welfare.

On December 14, 1954, the UN General Assembly recommended that all countries should introduce an annual event from 1956 known as Universal Children's Day to encourage fraternity and understanding between children all over the world and promoting the welfare of children.

The incumbent Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf-led government is committed to ensuring the protection of children's rights nationwide, Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday.

"We will continue to work to make sure that our children, who are our assets and the future of our nation, can live in a safe, enabling environment", said Dr. Shireen Mazari, Federal Minister for Human Rights.

The spokesperson said the plight of children in Indian illegally occupied Jammu and Kashmir should not be forgotten on this day. Since 1990, the day marks the anniversary of the date.

"This is a universal crisis and, for some children, the impact will be lifelong", said the United Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF) in an October report.

"While millions of girls and boys in Pakistan have seen their lives improve, millions of others continue to grapple with poverty, inequality, and lack of access to the essential services", said Ms. Aida Girma, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.

Cheema said that the government needs to remain steadfast to overcome any challenges thrown by the big tobacco industry in order to safeguard Pakistani children from the harms of tobacco. Pakistan ratified the Convention the following year.

The Human Services Director also addressed areas requiring further attention to ensure the protection of children, noting the significance of legislative reform, stating "We can start with our legislative reform which commenced with the Juvenile Justice Reform Project, and the OECS suite of bills, that we have passed two of them - the Child Care Protection and Adoptions and the Child Justice Act".