DNA
ISLAMABAD: The provincial governments of Punjab, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Sindh have pledged to continue reforms on addressing child marriage, birth registration, child protection, gender-based violence and social inclusion.
The UK’s Aawaz II programme, which started in 2017, has supported pilots such as the Anti-Rape Crisis Cells, District Child Protection Units and Women Protection Centres (WPC) which the provincial governments are now using as models to scale and expand. The innovative digital birth registration model, which facilitated over 3.5 million registrations, has already been scaled up by the respective provincial governments. The community engagement in 42 districts of Pakistan has demonstrated meaningful ways to address gender-based violence, child marriage, and exclusion of vulnerable communities. It has also developed Early Warning Systems to pre-empt conflicts while working closely with the local administration.
Speaking at a National Learning Event held to celebrate the success of the Aawaz II programme on Wednesday 22 October, Federal Minister for Planning and Development Ahsan Iqbal and Federal Minister for Law and Human Rights Azam Nazeer Tarar committed to building on this work, ensuring that the most vulnerable and marginalised populations of society are protected in the long-run.
British High Commissioner, Jane Marriott CMG OBE, said:
“From supporting the Child Labour Survey in Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, to facilitating over 3 million birth registrations, the success of Aawaz II is a testament to what we can achieved together to serve communities. Let us continue to work together to build a safer, more inclusive, and prosperous Pakistan for all.”
