Ayesha Raza Farooq, Chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC), participated in the National Learning Event held under the Awaz 2 programme in collaboration with UNICEF, UNDP, UNFPA, the FCDO and the British Council and chaired a session on strengthening child protection systems across Pakistan.
In her remarks she outlined the commission’s mandate and key initiatives, underlining the NCRC’s role in protecting and promoting child rights nationwide. She emphasized the urgent need for uniform legal protection for all children and called for harmonizing the legal age of marriage at 18 years across all provinces to provide consistent safeguards for children across Pakistan.
She stressed that enacting child protection laws is only the beginning and that effective implementation depends on clear rules of business, adequate budget allocations and well-trained personnel. “A child protection system is not built overnight it is built through persistence, partnerships and political will,” she remarked, urging development partners and authorities to ensure laws translate into practical protections on the ground.
Her statements at the National Learning Event under Awaz 2 reinforced the need for coordinated action between government bodies and international partners so that legal reform is matched by the operational capacity required to reach vulnerable children across the country.
