“The child has right to express his or her opinion freely and to have that opinion taken into account in any matter or procedure affecting the child”
article12CRE.Runaway children in Pakistan experience many forms of violence and exploitation by society and the state. At a great extent we/people are responsible for their rude attitude towards us because whenever we came across these children we just pass away without knowing the difficulties they are facing and whenever they need help we just ignore them.
We can’t even think to place our children in such kind of atmosphere in which runaway children are living, and facing problems. As they are innocent children and need help and support of people like us but we don’t bother to do so thus we have to admit the fact that the behavior of people towards runaway children is not acceptable. Although there is a sympathetically consideration by the society, and NGO’s towards these children but it has also been observed that if negative response has been delivered by the NGOs and society can create a bad impact on the personalities of these kinds of children. Children are sensitive; they need friendly atmosphere, and if we are friendly to them then this will change their attitude towards positive aspect and will show a great change in their aggressive behavior as they only need love, support, and comfort. Media has created awareness among people about
It’s a duty of each individual to adopt athis cause. Media provide opportunity to humanizing child and do efforts to protect the rights of child. As well as society has played a vital role for the welfare of these runaway children through NGO and other organization children are able to recognize themselves there is hope of their betterment. “For all form of exploitation, street children were on the most vulnerable group” said by NAZRA JAHAN of SPARC. She added that these children are at high risk of sex related diseases like HIV and AIDS.
measures to strengthen their position and secondly it’s the responsibility of society to take part in the activities like facilitate NGO’S and shake hand with the government to provide the right path for the children who intend to run away. Basically it’s a Government duty to provide good atmosphere to these children in order to remain them in their houses. Government can provide them with the basic rights like food shelter; jobs, education and other co-curricular activities in order to bring changes in their lives.
Mostly children run away from their houses due to different factors like negligence, physical abuse, without knowing the problems they have to face after running.This thing can be best explained by the word ‘corporal’ punishment. It is the use of physical punishment or force to correct a child’s behavior. Other definition of this term can also include mental abuse, physical abuse or humiliation intended as discipline. This issue is quite common in our country and regularly practiced in the Schools, Madrassass and homes, which is the major reason for a child for a child to runaway. Abuse and violence in school may include exploitation by peers or teachers, bullying, sexual abuse and harassment.
Thousands of children, mostly runaways, roam the streets of Pakistan’s major cities to earn a living, preferring the streets to their homes. Many children run away because of the following reasons:- Constant quarrels of parents, causing severe insecurity in the child.
- If they feel unloved.
- Sibling rivalry or arrival of a new child.
- Fear of physical danger like the father beating them for a certain wrongdoing.
- Fear that there will be withdrawal of emotional support for wrong doings.
- Failure or decline in the examination or test paper.
- If prone to impulsiveness.
- To accompany a friend in distress.
- Many children run because they run to a better life and many feels if they don’t run, they might end up found in severe situation.
Many children are the victims of abuse, whether it can be verbal, scolding slapping, shouting, twisting ears, insulting, beating by their parents, step parents, older sibling, also can be by other relatives. This situation effects the child development whether it can be mentally, emotionally, socially or behaviorally.Mostly school dropouts belong to poor families and end up on streets where they are exposed to all types of abuse and exploitations.
These children are not carter or treated well. There are often treated or dismissed as “druggies”, “Aids infected” or “prostitutes” etc
This is the most vulnerable group to Child Sexual Abuse. They are forcefully involved in it by the organized crime network, and latter it becomes a means of survival in the streets. Their erratic existence some times produces distortion of the mind in the younger children who lose track of time, and distance, they do not know how long they are wandering.
Runaway of children is a complex and hidden phenomena in Pakistan, requires innovative and evidence based responses it is clear from this study that there is an urgent need for holistic and child-centered implies that a program m fully respects all element of the child. Things that can be done: - Addressing the root causes of children leaving their houses at a younger age,
- Challenging the existing socio-culture norms and practices,
- Recognizing street/runaway children as rights holders and social actors,
- More in depth research was needed on various manifestations of runaways including trafficking etc,
- The results should be used for advocacy lobbying and for designing child protection programs in the frame world of Nation plan of action against causes of this problem,
- Educate the community so it can recognize children who may be at risk for exploitation, recognize exploitation and their tricks, and be aware of the strategies and actions for intervention,
- Children’s clubs and child centered and media may be important tools for sensitizing children peer support programs and peer to peer drama may be interest methods to strengthen child participation and ownership of children,
- The media in its multiple forms should educate the public and make aware nesses to eliminate the stereotypes surroundings for runaway children and youth.
Studies suggests that communities should be involved in the re integration process of the victims from the beginning. This may avoid stigmatization and may facilitative
re integration of the victims, also awareness and education on life skills (assertion skills etc) will help in the prevention of abuse and exploitation and the development of protection behavior in children. While integrating personal health, protection and integration should be included into the formal school curriculum.
Law makers should implement education programs for at risk children so they can recognize and be aware of appropriate ways to protect themselves from abusive behavior and to promote their impersonal communicational skills, critical thinking, confidence and self esteem. It will lead to heightening of their awareness and lessen their risks of becoming victims of runaways.
Pehchaan & SPARC are working for the rights of children & helping them find their identity. Perhaps the most disadvantaged group in Pakistan is the millions of street c
children who live or work on the street. Street children fall through the cracks in the society – there are few opportunities and ladders for them to climb back and return to normal life.
Children live and work on the street because their parents are poor, they are orphans, or they are abused at home. They are invariably mal-nourished, receive minimal education or medical treatment, and are involved in child labor from an early age. Child prostitution and sexual abuse are also major problems, as is addiction to drugs. These children live in a world different than ours. Taken as a separate nation, they are the most suffering people on our planet.
The root causes leading to these children’s plight are beyond a single NGO’s power to change, but PAHCHAAN & SPARC believes in helping where it can. To such children we are striving to provide:
- Repatriation to Their Families
- Temporary Shelters
- Street Schools
- Vocational Training
- Nutrition
- Medical Treatment
- Shower Facilities
- AIDS Awareness; and
- A Help Line for Children
Pahchaan (Protection And Help of Children Against Abuse and Neglect) is a Lahore-based non-government, non-profit, registered organization working on child protection issues. 
Pahchaan’s focus is on street children, runaway children, and other children in difficult circumstances, especially those vulnerable to abuse and exploitation. It also aims to work with service providers and parents/caregivers through increased awareness, networking, and capacity building in order to create a more protective environment for the children under their care. The NGO'S also said it was planning to open a drop in centre for such children with the help of international sponsors including the European Commission and Group Development and the organization End Child Prostitution, Child Pornography and Trafficking of Children for Sexual Purposes (ECPAT).
in late 1999, after a psychopath, Javed Iqbal, wrote in to national newspapers claiming he had murdered 100 street children, and then dissolved their bodies in acid. Though the deaths were never proven, the recognition by the victim's families of their clothing, carefully preserved by Iqbal, and the failure of any of the boys, all photographed by Iqbal before their deaths, to turn up, suggest the claims of the man who became known as the country's most notorious serial killer, may well have been accurate. Javed committed suicide in mysterious circumstances at Lahore's Kot Lakhpat Jail two years after handing himself in to police in 2000. His lawyers still maintain he was murdered by other convicts or jail staff.
The shocking revelations from Iqbal about his kidnapping and murder of
street children, led to many official pledges to set up shelters for
runaway children and booths where they could seek help. Efforts since then
to put such shelters in place have been minimal, and virtually none run
today in the public sector. The police too remain frequently reluctant to
register reports about missing children, or to play any part in seeking
them out.
However, in April this year the Punjab government set up the Bureau of
Child Protection and Welfare, an initiative supported by the United
Nations Children's Fund (UNICEF). The Punjab chief minister's adviser on
children's rights, paediatrician Dr Faiza Asghar, has also said that laws
are being brought in to better protect children, and programmes for child
beggars and addicts devised. "A lot more needs to be done to protect
children who are deprived," she told IRIN.
UNICEF's Shamshad Bokhari explained to IRIN that "our work with the Child
Protection Bureau is a first step in the effort to tackle the runaway
children issue." He added that UNICEF was focusing on two main areas:
"awareness-raising about the problem and the capacity building of recovery
and reintegration staff, which will be working to rehabilitate children."
How far such efforts will succeed in resolving the issue of street
children remains to be seen. The problem is clearly a complex one, tied
into overwhelming poverty, unemployment, violence within homes and the
many social and economic frustrations families confront. The number of
children leaving home, some aged little more than seven or eight, is also
on the increase and it would appear that solutions can come only as part
of broader policies that address the root causes of children's desperation
and their increased suffering as a result of worsening socio-economic
conditions across the country.
titutions or unfair activities,.Ninety five percent of the street children in Pakistan inhale ‘Samad Bond’ , a common commercial adhesive that creates temporary felling of ‘euphoria’ as it is easily available and is cheap so every child can afford it that can cause ‘fatal organ damage’ and most of the children suffer from respiratory problem because of this addiction .Sometimes these runaways and homeless youth are force to exchange sex for shelter; food, clothing and other basic necessities, and this act increase their risk for HIV infection and other diseases.
Most of the children who leave their houses due to their family problems and other reasons, become suffer of depression, anxiety and the sense of loneliness because they think they have no support with them at the time of trouble. Many of these children find shelter in shrines of data darbar ,as data darbar is abode of baggers and drug addicted people. These runaway youth do engage in violent behaviour, gangs, criminal activities and become drug addicted, so these children spend their future life in a cycle of deprivation, crime, bad habits, drugs. Some of them find their shelter at railway terminus, surviving through begging, theft or hawking goods on the platform. there are many runaway children who spend their earned money on drugs heroin or cocaine.
THESE CHILDREN NEED OUR LOVE
These children face abuse, torture at the hands of society. whenever these children need our help we just ignore them just like a spare furniture in our home. so due to our ignorance they become rude and get involved in criminal activities. these children may also involved in sexual abuse activities. These children are force by their gangs to sniff glue and it is seen that activity of glue sniffing has increased among runaway children as It is cheapor it is easily available.The following is the activities and occupation of these children..
Collecting and selling waste paper, plastic etc.
Cleaning cars
Selling water, sweets, biscuits etc.
Selling newspapers and flowers
Begging, pick pocketing, stealing
Working in roadside stalls
There are many NGO'S and other organization who are working on this issue eg pechan, vision etc. Many these organizations and Ngo's are involve providing capacity, buildings, services to these children and they also trying to train and provide staff for them.
HOW RUNAWAY CHILDREN BECOME ACTIVE PARTICIPANT OF THE SOCIETY???Ø Teach these children the useful skills which help them in future
Ø Give these children an opportunity to have an active role in learning
By providing these facilities it is also very essential to increase the quality and the status of teachers. Teachers should know their role and not avoid these children instead they should give them proper attention just like others children There should be a community participation in schools so that these children can also participate in these activities. Provide them some extra activities like sports and creative games, because these enable the children to become more familiar with one and other, and this way they can interact with other children. Through these types of participatory games these children can understated other children and in this way they can express feelings .By empowering runaway and street children to reflect upon their experiences, articulate their views, plan effective programs and advocate for their own rights, these children are challenging the status quo regarding children’s place and power
in society.
Some of the major preventions are as below to prevent your little angels from running;
Parents Should
Ø Provide a place of safety for children (both emotionally and physically).
Ø Talk to them openly in order to know their needs and problems.
Ø Try to respect them never discourage or ignore them.
Ø Listen to their needs and try to fulfil their needs.
Ø Fully support them in every walk of life, and listen their ideas and give value to them.
Ø Try to teach them always with love and teach them to take their own actions.
Ø Serve u as a friend, to help him, listen secrets, etc etc
Ø Home should be ideal place for him, its atmosphere should be comfortable.
Ø Build opportunities or child in this way he will be able to learn from life and to make his own decisions.
The first type of drug abuse is alcohol, tobacco and coco products. Injection drugs are also used commonly among run away children and youth. Most of the runaway children who take drugs regularly, face depression and the other psychological problems. Symptoms of drug ad
diction depend upon the drug being abused. The sign that indicate the drug addiction among these children are:Ø They always try to change their company
Ø They start stealing and lying
Ø Confused,
Ø anxiety
Ø Vomiting
Ø Stomach disorder
"SITUATION IN WHICH RUNAWAYS ARE SURVIVING"
Mostly children run away from their houses without knowing the problems they have to face after running. Some of them might join the armed services or take jobs such as sales work, others end up in jails. Those who remain on streets didn’t find any other job due to lack of experience, age and other reasons. Here these children get involved in criminal activities to make money. And these activities include prostitution, stealing, thievery and many of them become drug addict. And this is one of the major problems faced by these run away children. Runaway kids who live on the streets often have to steel to meet their basic needs, like food. Some children are forced to do things which they don’t want to do and it has surveyed that number of kids are HIV AIDS positive and many other kinds of diseases are higher on streets.
They experience both physical and sexual abuse. The outcome of both sexual and physical abuse appears to have a cumulative effect on children and their life on streets turns tragic when they realize that “what once seemed like a solution soon become another situation from which they 
must escape” and the runaway who experienced both forms of abuse are the most likely to abuse alcohol or drugs, due to continuous depression force them to attempt suicide and feels that no one cares about them. As these children step out of their houses, they are surrounded by fear and risks. They are mostly ignored by common people like us. Behavior of people towards them force them to change their attitude, as they run away from their houses due to many serious reason then are also ignored by us and society also compels them to change their behavior and became rude to people and use rough and aggressive language. Runaway children in Pakistan experience many forms of violence and exploitation by society and the state. Streets children face abuse, torture and even death at the hands of the police and society.
The question is whether their future is secure??…..whether there are any safe place program for these children n order to support them??.....
There are emergency shelters for children, like the family and youth service centres and the basic purpose of these centres is to provide these children basic facilities of life and to fully support them and its primary goal is to reunite the child with family in order to prevent their future
There are safe place program that generally work with youth shelter that provide support for runaways the behaviour of their staff members are always polite towards these children they are responsive an experienced,
these safe places are design
• In order to keep these children safe and off the streets
• Provide them proper shelter
• Provide them other facilities like, security
• To provide training to them .
"HEALTH DELINQUENCIES FACED BY THESE ANGELS"
Estimates by organizations working with street children suggest there are at least 5000 in the city at any one time, with the largest numbers based around data durbar or the railway station. These children earn their livings as scavengers, 
selling the empty bottles, cans and paper they collect each day. More and more children living on the streets are also being drawn into a life of petty crime by those running pick-pocketing or drug-pushing mafias.
These children have to face many problems. For instance, economic and social deficiency coupled with rising physical and sexual abuse, constitute the most serious threats to these runaway children. There is a lack access to safe drinking water which contributes to many major health problems. Including high rate of diarrhea, gastroenteritis etc. Moreover, Sexually Transmitted Diseases are found to be highest among these children, who hardly survive their teenage years.
Many of these children suffer deep psychological problems, sometimes cutting themselves with razors, alongside skin infections and problems arising from glue addiction. Many of the children suffer respiratory problems or stomach complaints.
When the children run from their houses they have nothing with them, most of these children join gangs and these gangs force them to beg, so numbers of these children are involved in begging, so city faces alarming rise in baggers.
MANAGING DIRECTOR OF MANSOOR SHAHID (CPWB)"
We understand that the most authentic information can be acquired only by the help of an expert. So we intend to interview an expert and ask him the certain questions regarding runaways & the answers to them are as follows in the form of a transcript;
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW IS AS FOLLOWS:
Analysis and transcription of interview conducted from, CPWB’S deputy Managing Director “Mansoor Shahid” :
“Child Friendly Society ensuring all children enjoy their rights without being discriminated especially those of the most vulnerable, i.e. destitute and neglected ones live in a family like environment where their physical, social and psychological needs are fulfilled and rights are protected”. 
“Child abuse and child beggary are stigma on the face of humanity, which have to be remove through joint efforts and liaison between the Government, Non-government Organizations and Society. CP&WB is the first step taken for this noble cause. CP&WB has been established for neglected and destitute children for the provision of Protection, Heath, Education and recreation along with the fulfilment of Emotional and Psychological needs. Let us join hands to help and provide every child on our streets, what is their due rights. Let us protect the future of Pakistan”.
The interviewee refused to be captured by the camera and did not allow us to tape his voice. According to him most of the runaways who are also drug addicts in Lahore are concentrated in the walled city area. He enlightened us with useful information about the types of runaways who are dealt with in the walls of child protection welfare bureau of CPWB. The conditions of the children told by him were even worse, than we noticed in our personal observation.
He made us aware of the reason for which children leave. There houses and about the afterward consequences faced by these young children at the hand of others. He also made us aware about the problem which were being faced by these children, government and private NGO’S, in the process of rehabilitations. According to him the lack of resources, proper education, training and expertise are needed to eliminate this issue. We were convinced of the direness of the drug situation when he stated that even children aged 8-12 years are getting involved in the drug habbit. And the worst part is that children who are being sexually abused are not being handled in an appropriate manner, so they were more vulnerable to the consequences of death etc.
He also stated that parents play a great and vital role in forcing a child to runaway. He has been working on this issue since 1992 and was quite experienced on this particular issue. He stated that there are many rewardable NGO’S who are working on this issue. The top one were Vision , Pehchaan, SPARC etc in the end of the interview he convinced to make awareness among people on this issue and in order to reduce young child runaway from their houses.
He ensured us that the police and respected departments are taking adequate measure to reduce this problem by introducing more severe penalties to the exploit, abuser of these young children. The interviewee gave us hope that the offender should/are put to justice.
BY CEO OF NGO VISION"
We understand that the most authentic information can be acquired only by the help of an expert. So we intend to interview an expert and ask him certain questions regerding this issue & how this can be solved.
TRANSCRIPT OF INTERVIEW AS FOLLOWS
houses. Such children face different atmosphere out of their home, so due to this difference in atmosphere they runaway to get their own choice out of their home. According to him society is not a culprit, neither these children. A person seeks the society according to his will. Everyone is culprit in a sense or another, on the other we all are only doing our duty in order to get paid. No one is seriously and personally concerned about this issue. It’s a duty of each individual to adopt a measures to strengthen their position and secondly it’s the responsibility of society to take part in the activities like facilitate NGO’S and shake hand with the government to provide the right path for the children who intend to run away.Different countries have different culture and different reason for this problem, where as in Pakistan the main reason for this issue is poverty and addictiveness, but in the rest of the world 
they run away from their houses due to un sympathetic behaviour by the parents, as in western countries parents do not take care of their children so the children try to pass their life with their own style and this action motivate the children to run away from their houses.According to him who do not want their condition to be changed? Everyone wants a good living standard, basic necessities, social needs, self esteem, love, affection and the feeling of wanted. There are some protection laws but enforce is week. Due the week the irregularity in government policies, there are some projects which are in the process get close.