DevCon - An Association for Rural Development

To mark International Children’s Day on November 20, DevCon held an awareness and experience sharing conference on Child Rights entitled “End Child Labor-Protect, Educate and Empower Every Child”.

A large number of civil society representatives and child rights campaigners including Mr. Iqbal Detho (Former Chairperson Sindh Human Rights Commission), Mr. Salam Dharejo (Country Coordinator, Pakistan for Terre Des Hommes Germany), Ms. Rizwana (Sindh Child Protection Authority), Mr. Reejho Mal (Sindh Labor Department), Mr. Abdul Hakeem Samejo (Child Protection Unit Korangi), Barrister Aashir Masood Mahesar (legal expert affiliated with juvenile penal laws) and Ms. Rakhi Kumari (Digital Media expert from Sindh) attended the event.

On this occasion, speech contest on “child labor and its negative influence on our wellbeing” was held for program schools. Children made speeches to assert their thoughts about the miseries of working children in Pakistan. A short documentary named Dreams from My Childhood was also screened for the audience.

In a penal discussion at the event, experts expressed concern on the state of growing child labor and said although Sindh has accomplished multiple child protection legislations; however, these laws and regulations still remain to be implemented in letter and spirit.

Delivering his keynote speech, Mr. Salam Dharejo felicitated DevCon for organizing the event. He added that children in Sindh are confronting complex challenges of education, health and safeguarding. He said DevCon work is an example of inclusive community engagement and the organization has contributed genuine assistance for schools, child rights movement and local communities.

Moving ahead on SDG 6: availability of water and sanitation for all

As per Annual Status of Education Report (ASER) - 2024 estimates, 46 percent of the government schools in Sindh do not have toilet facilities. Access to sanitation remains to be the most neglected basic need and singular common cause of girls drop out at the primary as well as secondary levels.

To raise awareness on the importance of clean toilets, DevCon celebrated World Toilet Day entitled “we shall always need the toilet”.

To mark the occasion, a ribbon-cutting ceremony was held to inaugurate newly built ultrafiltration plant at girls’ secondary school Natho Khoso and teams formally handed over the facility to the school (projected to provide clean drinking water to 700 students and teachers).

During the event, as a token of DevCon efforts to improve hygiene practices of children, teams distributed hygiene kits among them. These kits contain essential items like soap, sanitizer, nail-cutter, and tissue paper packs so that children may maintain their personal cleanliness in and out of school.

A group of female volunteers performed sensitization skits, drew sketches and made speeches on access to sanitation as basic necessity and a child right.

At the end of the event, DevCon teams expressed their gratitude for cooperation from the school administration and said ensuring availability of clean drinking water and sanitation is one of DevCon primary goals for program schools.