Child Protection, Issues and Measures The recent episode of Jwandai Jazbey (Alive Spirit) discussed the challenges and measures for child protection in a detailed manner taking child protection as the primary responsibility of the state and prevention of child abuse as the dire need of state and society to cope up the existing situation of child abuse. The first guest, Ms. Rubina, Deputy Director Social Welfare and Women Empowerment, was of the view that according to the Constitution of Pakistan, the legal age of someone to be put in the category of child is 18 years, and as per our constitution state is bound to provide protection to the rights of every citizen including child rights. Starting from the birthright till the educational facilities and other social rights are the responsibility of the state to provide children with. She elaborated that the concept of child abuse is in the contemporary scenario is a wide spectrum phenomenon which is not only limited to the physical harm of a child, even the corporal punishments are given to the children in an educational institution is also included in the child abuse spectrum. She further said that the state has rehabilitation centres and help lines established for reformation and reporting the crime related to child abuse. On the question of penalties, she said that their child abuse is a non bailable offence followed by the cash penalty and even execution. The second guest, Mr. Imran Takkar, a social worker was of the view that child abuse is a phenomenon not only related to the abduction or physical abuse rather it includes various other forms for example mental torture and even abusive language or naming calling to a child. He said that there are child courts which are properly functioning in different districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Peshawar. There is a dire need and responsibility of society as well as parents to give basic sexual education to the children and spread the word of awareness about the bad...

Women Empowerment and Entrepreneurship The latest episode of Ranra (Light) highlighted the role of women as entrepreneurs and the challenges faced by them. The guest in the show, Ms. Saba, an entrepreneur/ businesswomen said that women, being the majority of the population of Pakistan can play their positive and progressive role by putting in their efforts for the society’s progression. She elaborated that although participation of women is still less, nevertheless, there are women who are doing tremendous jobs as professionals. While talking about the challenges faced by women when it comes to businesses or jobs she said that many women still face harassment issues when they enter the workforce as she also faced such challenges at the start of her career. Yet she tried to compete with the male dominant setup of the society and broke stereotypes. She was of the view that parents should focus more on empowering their daughters and equip them with technical skills including giving them higher education. She said that although the government and civil society is playing its part to empower women by providing them with different vocational training and life skills but there is a dire need to do more in this regard as well as a responsibility falls on women to come forward, play their part and become role models for those who have fewer resources but they do want to be entrepreneurs. A report prepared by Mr. Shakir Mehsood from D.I. Khan stated that there is a dire need for doing a lot to empower women in contemporary times but unfortunately, there is no legal institution established yet, for instance a chamber of commerce in D.I. Khan to promote women empowerment. The report by Ms. Asma Gul from Peshawar shared that those women who are independent can play their positive role not only to serve the society but they can also keep their household matters organized. About Sabawoon: Sabawoon airs in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA)...

Child Marriage Legislation and Challenges The latest episode of Ranra (Light) highlighted the issue of child marriage and the existing challenges in coping up with this social issue. Child marriage does not only present a negative image of the society, but also deprives young girls of their basic rights. The guests on the show, Mr. Hamad Ramzan, an advocate and Ms. Salma Khattak, shared that child marriage is a custom that is still practiced all over the country especially in rural and underdeveloped areas of Pakistan. Ms. Salma noted that poverty is the main reason behind child marriages as a major proportion of the population is living below the poverty line. The other reasons are our customary practices like Swara (a young girl is married as punishment for a crime committed by her male relatives to end the enmity) and Satta Wata (exchange marriage) under which young girls are forced to marry to end an old feud. There is inequality when it comes to focusing on the health and education of female children as more focus is given to the male child and this is also a contributory factor for child marriages. While talking about legislation she added that legal bills, especially relating to women's issues, are often sent to the Council of Islamic Ideology for revision and it usually results in uncalled delays in the process of bringing it to the parliament. The percentage of early marriages remains high in girls as compared to boys. She elaborated that in tribal districts over 70% of girls get married before they reach the age of 18, exposing them to physical and psychological problems. Mr. Hamad Ramzan said that due to this illicit practice young women remain unable to continue their learning or they may be forced to stop education. While discussing the effective implementation of child marriage laws he said that unfortunately most of the cases of child marriages happening remain unreported due to ignorance among the local communities. He said that people need to...

Youth Volunteerism for Civic Engagement   The latest episode of Jwandai Jazbey (Alive Spirit) discussed the importance of youth volunteerism for civic engagement with emphasis on volunteer activities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. A spirit of volunteerism is a dire need if we want the youth to share responsibilities with the state. The guest in the show, Mr. Shahzad Hanif, a well-known volunteer in Peshawar said that volunteerism teaches us to understand the problems of others, being considerate of their feelings and helping out for the sake of Allah Almighty. Defining volunteerism, he said that social activism is aimed at bringing change in the society; however, this may be confined to social media activities while volunteerism is to serve people practically.   Mr. Shehzad said that volunteerism can affect the society largely, though it is another topic that volunteers are not encouraged at times. Volunteerism can be done at different levels and in different scenarios such as removing trash from the streets. He shared that the concept of Dewar-e-Meharbani (wall of kindness) was initiated in Peshawar by his team as a part of volunteer activities. He suggested that volunteerism doesn't have to be age bound and all segments of society can contribute as per their capacity. The guest on call, Mr. Asad Lodhi, a volunteer, emphasized that it is the moral responsibility of every individual whether rich or poor to serve as a volunteer. We must utilize our resources for helping people. Volunteer groups prove to be beneficial for the entire society. A big population in the country is poor and they cannot afford quality food and health facilities therefore we must assist them. If you get involved in voluntarism, you will learn a lot of things and gain experience that will benefit you in personal as well as professional life. The report by Mr. Farid Shinwari shared the details of voluntary activities continuing in Peshawar and the respondents were of the opinion that only youth...