WUNRN
Asian Human Rights Commission
PAKISTAN - GIRLS WITH DEFORMITY OR
DISABILITY ARE AMONG THE MOST MARGINALIZED OF CHILDREN
Amir
Murtaza - July 18, 2012
In a horrifying case, which has recently been displayed widely in national and
international newspapers and TV channels, a new born girl buried alive by her
father in the city of
Khanewal in province of Punjab,
Pakistan. The local police have
arrested the father accused of burying his daughter. It was informed
that due to the physical deformity of the
newborn, the father had decided to abuse the most fundamental right of every child; the right to life.
Survival for girls or women in
patriarchal societies, such as ours, is always a battle, which starts while she
is still inside the womb and continues
throughout her life in one way or another.
Men not only decide about their life
but also their death. Ill treatment of girls
and women is a common trait of our
society besides corruption and hypocrisy.
Abdul Qadir Bullo, President of Social
Research and Development Organization (SRDO), observed that the recent case has clearly shown the status of those children
who came into this world with physical
deformities. The SRDO President said
that, “I also come from a rural area of the
country and quite aware of the
fact that any deformity or abnormality of
the child brings out very strange
reaction in rural areas.” He added
that due to lack of education and awareness, people see disable children as curse and therefore such attitude has made disabled children completely unacceptable for the society.
Talk of women’s rights and gender
equality is taken as farce or feminist thoughts of few to say the least. The situation worsened when a girl is either born or develop some kind of disability, which virtually heralds an
end to her life. Barring few lucky ones, our society in general has an
indifferent and heartless attitude towards people with disabilities, specifically a girl. They are
declined the basic rights of being a human, and shunned behind the closed doors.
Article 23 of UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child informs, “1. States Parties recognize that a mentally or physically
disabled child should enjoy a full and decent life, in conditions which ensure
dignity, promote self-reliance and facilitate the child's active participation in the community. 2. States Parties recognize the right of
the disabled child to special care and shall encourage and ensure the extension, subject to available
resources, to the eligible child and
those responsible for his or her care,
of assistance for which application is
made and which is appropriate to the
child's condition and to the
circumstances of the parents
or others caring for the child.”
Dr. Ali Murtaza, a public health expert, observed that killing or abandoning of unwanted children is not an uncommon act in our country.
But, he added, last week the news
about a newborn girl with physical
disabilities, buried alive by her own father
in Punjab, must have jolted the hearts
and minds of many if not all. This
barbaric act is a reminder of
practices prevalent in older times and a reflection of the
crumbled state of affairs we are at. Additionally, the case has clearly shown the respect of child rights, in rural areas of
the country.
Dr. Ali Murtaza further informed that
World Health Organization (WHO) defines disability as a physical, mental, or
intellectual condition resulting either
in impaired body functions, activity limitation, and/or participation
restriction. The exact data about
disability is not available in most countries of the
world. It is estimated that overall disability prevalence is around 10% of global population. And these people are usually deprived of all right to live a dignified life.
It is important to mention that UN Convention for the Rights of Person with
Disabilities was opened for signatures in 2007 and on 3rd May 2008 the Convention entered into force. There are
eight guiding principles that underlie the
Convention and each one of its
specific articles:
Respect for inherent dignity, individual autonomy including the freedom to make one's own choices, and independence of persons
Non-discrimination
Full and effective participation and inclusion in society
Respect for difference and acceptance of persons with disabilities as part of human diversity and humanity
Equality of opportunity
Accessibility
Equality between men and women
Respect for the evolving capacities of children with disabilities and respect for the right of children with disabilities to preserve their identities
It is a fact and the recent case has substantiated the assertion that children, especially girls, who live with any deformity or disability are among
the most marginalized group of
children. Due to their marginalized
status these children are
vulnerable to physical violence, neglect and discrimination. Additionally, the stigma associated with them,
especially in rural social setting of
developing and poor countries, has further
increased the violation of their
basic rights. Lack of acknowledgement of the
issue of children with
disabilities and support mechanism by the
government, society, community and even in homes have made their life miserable.
It is really worthy to mention that Pakistan has ratified all major Human,
Women and Child Rights Conventions, including the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child and UN Convention for the Rights
of Person with Disabilities. However, ratification of any UN Convention should lead to design a
proper implementation mechanism with a
view to translate the fine words into
actions. It is, therefore, expected
that the federal and provincial
governments should take tangible measures to safeguard the fundamental rights of disabled children. Furthermore, NGOs and CBOs with the
help of media should organize awareness raising campaigns, especially in
rural areas of the
country, about the importance and
respect of the fundamental rights of children,
both boys and girls.