KABUL - Second vice president Sarwar Danish on Sunday formally introduced the country’s first Child Protection Law which has been ratified by President Ashraf Ghani and is published in the official gazette.
The law on child rights is officially launched at a time when 3.7 million Afghan children are out of school and more than 1000 children were killed in attacks during the past six months.
The law, which has 16 chapters and 107 articles, shall be approved from the Parliament within 30 days of its signing by the president.
The rights of children to citizenship, identity, registration and birth, the right to be breastfed, prohibited from being misused, abused, the right to freedom, the right to access to services, and the right to education are parts of the law.
Meanwhile, the law says a pregnant woman cannot opt for abortion without any legitimate and health reason. The law also prohibits Bacha Bazi, the illegal practice of misuse of boys under the age of 18 and also prohibited recruitment of children as soldiers.
Speaking on the occasion, Sarwar Danish said children’s condition has been “shocking” over the past two years and 44 percent of children were deprived of education.
He said one child died in every one hour in 2017 and that 2018 was the deadliest year for Afghan children.
He called the launch of the law as a historic moment and asked government organs to implement the law in letter and spirit.
He said more than half of children in Afghanistan lacked adequate living standards, access to food, education, water and sanitation and other basic services.
Justice Minister Abdul Basir Anwari, who was present on the occasion, said it was the government’s responsibility to provide children with quality health and education services and protect them from violence, abuse and exploitation. (Pajhwok)