KARACHI, 27 February 2006 — A number of nongovernmental organizations have formed the Pakistan chapter of a network “Action Against Trafficking and Sexual Exploitation of Children” (ATSEC) to stop exploitation of children and women by traffickers and to protect them from being sexually abused, sources said.
The objectives of ATSEC are to provide a platform for the civil society organizations working against trafficking, unsafe migration, commercial sexual exploitation and sexual abuse of women and children.
It will also share information and experiences and initiate action and take necessary steps to engage with all tiers of government and national, regional, international organizations and networks for more effective coordination of anti-trafficking measures and interventions.
It will establish linkage and coordination mechanisms with other ATSEC country chapters in the region. The ATSEC will also provide support to member organizations for building and strengthening their capacity to undertake anti-trafficking and other related activities.
A declaration on formation of ATSEC was signed by the representatives of the four founding member organizations including Journalists for Democracy and Human Rights (JDHR), Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), Sustainable Development Policy Institute (SDPI) and Pakistan Rural Workers Social Welfare Organization (PRWSWO) at a meeting. A leading human rights lawyer Zia Ahmad Awan will be convener of ATSEC-Pakistan.
The formation of ATSEC-Pakistan has been supported by SARI/Equity that had also supported formation of such chapters in India, Bangladesh, Nepal and Sri Lanka. The ATSEC core team would invite more civil society organizations to join the network and arrange a formal launch of the chapter soon.
The newly-formed group said, “Taking note of the linkages among trafficking, sexual exploitation and issues of safe migration, mobility, socio-cultural practices and traditions, poverty, discrimination and violence, ATSEC-Pakistan envisions that every child and woman is protected from being trafficked and/or sexually exploited.”
