Fatima and Rizwana’s cases stand as a harrowing example of the consequences of child labour and slavery which should be made a test case to serve as a deterrent, Chairperson of Punjab Child Protection Bureau, Sarah Ahmed said.

The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) held a press conference in Karachi on Tuesday to demand the authorities and judiciary to have speedy and exemplary prosecution of the accused allegedly involved in the rape and murder of child domestic labours.

Along with Sarah, actress and child rights activist, Nadia Jameel; child protection ambassadors and actors Mahira Khan; Ahsan Khan and Frieha Altaf also participated in the press conference.

Sarah was of the view addressing child labour and slavery requires a collaborative effort involving government agencies, law enforcement, civil society, and the media.

She also said that it is also imperative that survivors of child trafficking and slavery receive comprehensive support including physical, psychological and social rehabilitation.

“A nation that can’t protect its children, cannot progress”, said Sarah.

She said that child protection bureaus and authorities are doing its efforts to provide protection to children working in hazardous environments and those who are victims of domestic violence, but they need support from all the relevant stakeholders to prevent such issues.

Executive Director of SSDO Syed Kausar Abbas said that the rising cases of child slavery and child trafficking demand collective attention and action to ban child labour and combat child trafficking and slavery in Pakistan.

He emphasised the need of building harmony among diversified legal frameworks catering the specific child rights violations including early child marriages, child labour, domestic labour, child trafficking, violence against children and bonded labour traditions in Pakistan.

Child domestic labour should be taken as a serious crime against the state, a cognizable, non-bailable, and non-compoundable offence and penalised through rigorous punishments.

He added that Sections 3 and 4 of the TIP Act provide for police to register such cases to ensure maximum penalisation, however, it is strange that such cases of compelled child labour are not registered under the TIP Act.

Abbas stressed on the need for the provincial government to seriously look upon the rising cases of violence against children by establishing dedicated operational and investigation units and providing adequate resources for the capacity enhancement of officers, investigation and prosecution of offenders.

He also said that there is a lack of awareness among common citizens about the prevalence of crime, the signs, and reporting mechanism to report these issues.

In rural areas, the victim families usually are very poor and they themselves are not aware of the fact that they are victims of TIP, bonded labour, and abuse making it incredibly challenging to identify and rehabilitate victims. “Giving them the awareness that they are victims, is their first right.” He said.

Nadia Jameel said that those perpetrating these heinous crimes are often the ones holding great influence, power, and even political backing. As such, it becomes incredibly easy for them to avoid any sort of punishment, easily getting away with their crimes, she added.

Nadia urged for stronger crackdowns on sexual predators and to ensure they get punished to the full extent of the law. “We need to make sure that we will not rest until the perpetrator is punished. We will not stop raising our voices till then.”

The actor said that crimes against children have always been there but now these issues have been highlighted because of the media. This is a positive step, she added.

However, she said that she was afraid of the silence that comes after the hashtags and trends end on social media.

Popular actress Mahira Khan said that there were many young girls that have undergone these heinous treatments and it is plainly obvious that if we do not take a stand today. “If we do not harshly punish these offenders today, then countless other young girls will suffer the same fate in the future.”

Ahsan Khan said that despite the hue and cry against it, the practice of child labour still continues.

“We can see from Rizwana’s case that even among those we perceive to be well-educated, they are observed to be the very worst offenders,” he added.

Frieha Altaf insisted that the story of these young girls is a testament to the urgency of addressing this issue and seeking justice for those who have suffered.

“We demand a thorough and impartial investigation into the Rizwana and Fatima case and Justice must be swift, ensuring that those responsible for their suffering are held accountable to the fullest extent of the law,” she added.