URDU-9 Comparative Study of Steps Taken by Muslims and Western People about Child Rights in Pakistan and on International Level

Abstract

The concept of Child rights in Islam is as old as Islam is. Hazrat Muhammadﷺ focused on two major aspects regarding children one is their right to life with all basic necessities and secondly on their nourishment, education and civilization irrespective of any form of discrimination. While on the other hand, in western world, this concept was given in middle Ages only up to this extent that the children were called as “small adults”. Only there are three turns in history in which this topic of child rights was focused seriously with practical approach but with discriminatory behaves, after world war 1^st (1914-1918) in 1919 by Eglantyne Jebb, an English woman, established an organization as “Save the Children Fund” for rehabilitation of European children, affected by war. In 1946 after world war 2^nd (1939-1945), “UNICEF” in 1953 was established, with the aim of restoration of children affected by war and then in 1989, the most successful and universally accepted child rights convention was held as UNCRC, 1989. In Pakistan many NGO’s are working on child rights from which Akhuwat Foundation and Saylani Welfare Trust are most prominent. Most importantly, the major role is being played by madrassas and jamiaat by providing free of cost children education, medical and residence. Therefore, it can be said that the participation and services provided by these religious centers (madarassas, dini marakaz, jamiaat and mosques) are more than any other national or international NGO’s and organizations including institutions backed by Government as well.