As we celebrate the Thirtieth Anniversary of the adoption of the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child, the world must never forget the children of IOJ&K

On the occasion of the Thirtieth Anniversary of the adoption of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) on 20 November 2019, Pakistan reaffirms the right of every child to grow, learn, play and flourish with dignity. Being one of the early signatories and ratifying State of CRC, Pakistan is fully committed to upholding its international and national obligations for the promotion and protection of the rights of the child. The premises of Prime Minister’s Office and Ministry of Foreign Affairs are being lit blue as a manifestation of commitment to upholding the principles and objectives of CRC.

Pakistan has taken a range of institutional and legal measures to eliminate any form of exploitation and has opened up equal opportunities for all children to progress and excel. We remain committed to inclusive and sustainable development by promoting good quality standardized education for all our children. We are also mindful of the challenges faced by the girl child, and committed to addressing them.

We believe that advancing and safeguarding the rights of the child is an investment in our future. We reaffirm our strong resolve to continue to pursue policies and programs that create opportunities and pathways for the empowerment, protection and promotion of the rights of every child in Pakistan.

On this day, we must not forget the plight of the children of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJ&K), bearing the brunt of Indian brutalities. The UN High Commissioner for Human Rights, UN experts and international civil society have documented in detail the gross human rights violations committed by Indian occupation forces in IOJ&K against unarmed children, including arbitrary detentions, abductions in house raids, blinding by use of illegal pellet guns, denial of travel abroad to families of blinded children for their treatment, difficulty in pursuing education due to prolonged curfew, and adverse impact on children’s physical and psychological health etc.

We call upon the international community to become the voice of the oppressed Kashmiri children of IOJ&K and urge India to immediately stop its illegal and inhuman policies and practices that are in contravention of its own obligations under the CRC.

Islamabad
20 November 2019

497/2019