KARACHI (PR): “Rehabilitation of prisoners is society’s responsibility’ was the key learning from the two-days training organised by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child (SPARC) in collaboration with the United Nations Development Programme (UNDP) for personnel working with young prisoners in Sindh.
During the training organized at Marriott Hotel here the participants shared the challenges they face while working with young prisoners and suggested solutions to improve their rehabilitative process.
Despite being a country with one of the highest populations of youth, the lack of focus on youth focused development in Pakistan has made young people vulnerable to violence and conflict, a situation exacerbated by the volatile security situation in the country. According to official data (October 2017), Pakistan has a total prison population of more than 84,000, of which more than 1,300 under 18 years of age.
UNDP Pakistan has responded to these developments by initiating the Kamyab Jawan – Youth Empowerment Programme, a multi-pronged strategy that aims at creating a facilitating environment for youth in conflict affected areas of Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan to emerge as agents of positive change and development.
Ms Shumaila Muzzamil Manager SPARC says SPARC and UNDP have initiated Social and Economic Rehabilitation and Reintegration Support Programme for Young Prisoners in Sindh. Under this project, young prisoners at the District Prison Malir, Women Prison, and Youthful Offenders Industrial School Karachi are being provided vocational training, psychosocial counselling and legal aid to facilitate their successful reintegration in society after release.
The training underlined the principle that young people who are detained or who are in prisons retain all their rights except those that have been lost as a specific consequence of deprivation of liberty. They have the right to an adequate standard of living and appropriate conditions of detention. The training stressed that all young prisoners have the right to take part in education and cultural activities aimed at the full development.
Training was conducted by Dr. Fakhar Sohail, National Training Manager SPARC; Mr. Faiz ullah Korejo Assistant Director Cyber Crimes Sindh; and Mr. Iqbal Ditho, Civil Rights Activist. Mr. Nusrat Mangan, Inspector General Sindh Prisons distributed the certificates among the participants.
