Life on the streets is treacherous for children. They are often targeted in ways that perpetuate gross abuses of human rights. Most street children at a minimum have witnessed some sort of violence. In order to feed themselves, many children work in unsafe and exploitative environments that expose them to the dangers of child labour, slavery and human trafficking.
In a bid to fight the ignored and invisible issue faced by children on street, ‘Protection of Children at Risk’ (POCAR) was introduced in one of the busiest areas of Rawalpindi city, Pir wadhai. The area is considered to be a hub of child labour and abuse.
With the support of local government, efforts were made to bring children back to school by imparting skills among adult siblings, guardians and parents to address the root cause of the problem. The successful implementation yielded positive outcomes which in result paved the way for continuity of the project till 2022.