Child Protection System and Challenges in Pakistan

Child protection refers to preventing and responding to child abuse and exploitation, that is, child labour, trafficking, commercial sexual exploitation, and harmful customary practices. This paper is about child protection issues in Pakistan, one of the South Asian countries in the Indian sub-continent. Pakistan has agreed to provide children with special protection, as a signatory to the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the child [UNCRC]. Consequently, it is mandatory for the state to protect children. The authors review both internal and external factors affecting child protection in Pakistan in addition to outlining the challenges faced by South Asian countries in the realm of child protection. It then draws recommendations for efficient child protection system in Pakistan.