Islamabad: November 07, 2024 – An Interpol Team headed by Ms. Gabriela Javera Chamorro Concha, Criminal Intelligence Officer, Interpol Crimes against Children Unit, visited the Wafaqi Mohtasib Secretariat here this afternoon and was given a comprehensive briefing by the Grievance Commissioner for Children on this Office’s efforts for ameliorating the lot of children in the country with particular reference to curbing the cyber-crimes against children.
The Team was informed that a series of initiatives was taken to achieve the objective, which included appointment of a full-fledged Grievance Commissioner for Children, keeping watch over the state of children in the country, monitoring of media reports to identify cases of violence against children, supporting parliament for legislative reforms, addressing systemic issues through consultation with key stakeholders, carrying out research and advocacy, awareness raising and capacity building.
He said that the Office of the Grievance Commissioner for Children (OGCC), functioning in this Secretariat, has vigorously pursued the issue of cyber-crimes against children at different levels and has identified some of the key areas for intervention like awareness raising, sensitization of media, advocacy and capacity building alongwith the legal reforms. The Team was further informed that the active lobbying with the relevant stakeholders has enabled proactive robust responses on awareness raising campaigns. Public services messages are being disseminated through PEMRA, PTV, PBC, PTA and social media sources, he added. The team was also apprised of the Zainab Alert and Response and Recovery Act 2020 in this regard.
The Team commended the efforts being made for the welfare of children in the country and lauded efforts to curb cyber-crimes against children. It also underlined the need for promoting cooperation and greater sharing of experiences to mutual advantage. The visit of the team was part of initiatives to combat online child exploitation.
ADVERTISEMENT
