Street Children’s Issues and the Role of SPARC

INTRODUCTION TO SPARC

SPARC is Pakistan’s leading child rights organization. It works on a broad range of child rights issues, addressing the overall system and policy framework, with added focus on specific thematic areas of special importance to children.

SPARC’s work is guided by international human rights principles and standards which are integrated at policy and program level. The main guiding documents include the UNCRC (United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child) and relevant ILO Conventions.

2.2       HISTORY OF SPARC

SPARC an independent non-governmental organization was registered as a society in Pakistan in December 1992. It has been working utterly on child related issues since that time. It’s inspired from the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child.

The establishment of SPARC was done to act as an advocacy group for child rights. Initially the work of SPARC was based on small issues such as baby milk and food problems but nowadays their main focus includes other issues such as child labor, juvenile justice, education and violence against children. SPARC has also been working on issues that ultimately affect the condition of children in this country, such as corruption, freedom of association and the “myth or reality” of NGOs.

SPARC has been involved actively in introducing the concept of child rights and in raising issues that were formerly not part of the national debate in Pakistan. While realizing the importance of maintaining its independence, SPARC has found it useful to employ the government to persuade it to keep commitments and bring about legislative changes where necessary.

2.3       SPARC ACHIEVEMENTS

1.	SPARC wrote for UNICEF the publication titled Pakistani Laws and the Convention on the Rights of the Child, which encouraged the Government in finally deciding to sign the UN CRC;
2.	It drafted Pakistan’s response to the Concluding Observations of the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child after its consideration of Pakistan’s first report to the Committee.
3.	SPARC was the only Pakistani NGO that submitted an Alternative Report to the Committee on the Rights of the Child in 2003.
4.	It played a key role in the drafting and later endorsement of the Protection of Breastfeeding and Young Child Nutrition Ordinance 2002.
5.	It was actively involved in getting the Juvenile Justice System Ordinance 2000 enacted and the Rules subsequently notified in all four Provinces.
6.	It secured the release of juvenile prisoners through several Presidential Orders by working through its Board Member and then Federal Minister for Social Welfare, DrAttiyaInnayatullah;
7.	It Improves the conditions of juvenile sections of jails and provide other basic facilities such as water coolers, fans, exhaust fans, indoor games and books to children in jail.
8.	SPARC played a vital role in the notification of Rules under the Employment of Children Act 1991 in the Frontier Province.
9.	SPARC played a key role in getting the Employment of Children Rules extended to FATA (Federally Administered Tribal Areas) and PATA (Provincially Administered Tribal Areas).
10.	It has organized annually since 1999 a Child Labor-Free Week from November 13 to 20, during which organizations and individuals throughout Pakistan organize activities to raise awareness about child labor and mobilize public and official support for its elimination.
11.	It formed and later served (to date) as the national secretariat of CACL (Coalition Against Child Labor) that now consists of more than 350 organizations, including trade unions.
12.	It established CRCs (Child Rights Committees) in more than 40 districts to monitor and advance child rights in their respective localities.
13.	It produced a large number of brochures on almost all aspects relating to child rights, almost all of which are available in Urdu.
14.	It produces an annual report, The State of Pakistan’s Children, monitoring the year’s developments with regard to child rights in Pakistan.
15.	It published three major books on child labor, juvenile justice and child rights – the first of their kind.
16.	It publishes a magazine newsletter entirely devoted to coverage of news relating to child rights in English, Urdu and Sindhi.
17.	SPARC publishes a biannual magazine, Discourse, on child rights.

2.4       VISION

A world in which children are valued and empowered and their rights promoted and protected.

2.5              MISSION STATEMENT

To promote and protect the rights of children and to empower them using international standards as a yardstick through advocacy supported by research, awareness raising, service delivery and human and institutional development.

SPARC was registered in December 1992 as a society under the Societies Registration Act 1860. 

SPARC has consultative status with the United Nations ECOSOC (Economic and Social Council) and the United Nations Department of Public Information. It also has partnership with Defense for Children International (DCI).

In 2003, SPARC received the United Nations Recognition Award in recognition of its work in highlighting the plight of children and promoting the rights of children in Pakistan.

In 2006 SPARC received USAID certification under the USAID Institutional Management Certification Programmer (IMCP).

2.6       OBJECTIVES OF SPARC

1.       SPARC has been instrumental introducing the concept of child rights and raising issues that were previously not part of the national debate.

2.   SPARC has found it useful to engage the government to convince it to keep commitments and bring about legislative changes were necessary.

3. SPARC act to protect the rights of the child to empower children with in the frame work of recognized standards through advocacy, research, outreach activities human development, and institutional capacity building

2.7     OFFICE

SPARC has offices in five cities: the head office is in Islamabad and provincial offices are in Peshawar, Lahore, Quetta and Karachi.  In addition there are three field offices; Hyderabad, Multan and Nowshera.

2.8              GOVERNING BODY

SPARC's Board of Directors comprises of leading civil society leaders and activists. The Board meets at least twice a year and provides support and guidance on policy issues, and also participates in various SPARC activities

2.9       OUTREACH
SPARC’s outreach at district level is based on Child Rights Committees (CRCs). These are volunteer groups consisting of local activists working on children’s issues. There are currently a total of 54 CRCs: 16 in Sindh, 20 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and FATA, 16 in Punjab and 2 in Baluchistan.

2.10     SPARC APPROACH

Lobbying with government to make child rights a priority issue and develop legal and institutional mechanisms;

Accountability of state and society though media, conferences and periodic shadow reports to relevant international human rights committees;

Monitoring of the child rights situation in the country through annual status reports on children’s issues;

Research to assess and highlight issues facing children and make recommendations, and SPARC also works in the field of publication.