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Every year thousands of children die in Sindh before reaching the age of five years. Thousands of others live on with ill health, disablement, or poor growth. This dilemma is largely preventable, because the knowledge needed to save most of these children, already exists. The only challenge is to communicate this information so that it becomes part of the basic childcare of every family and community in Sindh. In this context the role of press and journalists becomes extremely relevant and crucial. The press is a metaphor for all forms of delivering information and transmitting ideas to and from people, while journalists enjoy special authority to raise public and official awareness and help people involve in major development programs. They can also mobilize the support of government, decision-makers, and community leaders for new major initiatives. In July 1991 about 26 key Journalists from all districts of Sindh met at Sindh University Jamshoro during a six-day workshop organized by UNICEF, Press Institute of Pakistan (PIP) and Department of Mass Communication Sindh University Jamshoro. They resolved to constitute “Sindh Journalists’ Network for Children (SJN)” with the objective of promoting awareness about the rights of children through media. Professor Ibad Rashidi, Chairman Department of Mass Communication became patron of SJN and Mr. Kanwal Sindhi was elected as first president of the organization. A number of other child rights activists i.e. Mr. Nasir Raza Jafferi of UNICEF Sindh. Professor Zakaria Sajid of Press Institute of Pakistan, Mr. Ramzan Azhar and Mr. Naseem-ur-Rehman of UNICEF Islamabad were advisors of SJN and they are still a great support to SJN. Since its establishment Sindh Journalists’ Network for Children (SJN) has been active as an NGO working for the rights and protection of children as well as other vulnerable of the society. SJN is registered with Directorate of Social Welfare, Government of Sindh. (No.DSW/S852 of 1992) Its head office is in Karachi, while it has also a number of offices in different district of Sindh. Mr. Kanwal Sindhi has been third time elected as the president of SJN. Status and Geographical Area SJN is a non-profit, non-sectarian, and non-political organization. Its geographical area is Sindh Pakistan. Target Sectors and Beneficiaries The target sectors of the organization include: v Juvenile Justice v Child Birth Registration v Trafficking of Children v Education v Health v Child Labor v Child Rights v Women Rights v Safe Drinking Water v Media v All children by birth to 18 years and women. Funding Channels v Contribution from members v Donation from people v Grant-in-aid from government v Project sponsorship by UNICEF/Donors. The organization has five divisional branches each comprising district monitor from every district and 6 members. 2 members of divisional branches are the members of Central Executive Committee and also are responsible for the operational activities in the area Membership SJN has over 200 members. The membership is done at branch level. One of the existing member must introduce the new candidate for the membership and takes responsibility about his/her credentials and character. The member must be journalist/free lance or communicator. Aims and Objectives To promote and struggle for the rights of children as endorsed in the United Nation’s World Declaration on the Survival and Development of Children v To enhance the concept of child first, through mass media and social action. v To publish and circulate literature to mobilize community in the interests of children and their mothers. v To arrange and organize information through training workshops, seminars, public, walks, surveys and entertainment programs for the social, mental & physical development of children. v To ensure participation of the children of Sindh in national and international programs and events. v To encourage co-operation and co-partnership with other association. NGOs, national and international institutions working for the cause of children and Women of Sindh province. v To encourage and promote child literature, and award prizes to selected printed and or audio-video material created by or children and mothers. v To struggle for free and compulsory education to all children. v To work for community mobilization about child rights, specially their health, education, environment, safe drinking water and social status. v To work for juvenile Justice. v To work to stop Honors Killing (Karo-Kari). Major Achievements The communication is the key to mass mobilization. SJN members are specialists in this field especially in print media. Presently, SJN is the most active body working for rights of the children and women in Sindh by using communication as a tool. Some of the selective activities and achievements of SJN are as under: v SJN is playing active role in providing regular information to the community leaders, decision makers local administration, NGOs, educationalists, health workers, child rights activists through newspapers and awareness campaign programs etc. v It is engaged in disseminating information about health, Education safe drinking water, environment, sanitation, rights of child and women, as well as information regarding CRC to the communities. v Every year, SJN celebrated Universal Children Day, Polio Day, Women Day and conduct seminars, workshops on these occasions. v SJN is struggling against Karo-Kari (Honor Killing) child labor, and other social evils of Sindh. In this connection a survey regarding violence against women includes incidents of Karo Kari, was conducted in 11 districts of Sindh and a study report was prepared on the basis of same survey. v SJN with the support of UNICEF during the year 2001 conducted a series of training workshops for government functionaries, NGO’s on Juvenile Justice in Sindh to support the implementation on CRC. v SJN has initiated a fact-finding process on the situation of children in the jails of 12th District of Sindh. v SJN has conducted hundreds of training workshops, and a series of PTA’s mobilization workshops, seminars, children-walks at different places/cities and villages all over Sindh. v SJN has conducted major household surveys jointly with other co-partners about health, education, sanitation, situation of children and women in Sindh, gender gap in primary education and sentinel community surveillance (SCS) bond of care etc. v SJN has conducted a series of workshops on safe motherhood, child survival, protection & development, role of journalists in child rights, sustainable development, planning with communities and many more community mobilization workshops. v SJN has trained key journalists to work as master trainers in surveys and training of Parent Teacher Associations (PTAs) v SJN has completed the first base-line training phase of PTA’s and about 3600 PTA’s have been trained. v SJN has been publishing a newsletter entitled “SAJJAN” in Sindhi and English. v SJN conducted 9 One day seminars on Child Birth Registration (CRC) in 1999 and 11 in the year 2000, thousands of key personalities of Sindh participated in the events. Partnership/Linkages SJN during the process of its struggle for the rights of children has developed partnership, working relationship as well as linkages with a number of National and International, Government as well as Non-Governmental Organizations in the field of children and women rights. Some of the Organizations are as under: v UNICEF Karachi, Islamabad. v Social Welfare Department Sindh /Social Welfare Training Institute Karachi. v Sindh Regional Plan Organization (SRPO) Karachi v Bureau of Curriculum (BOC), Jamshoro v Department of Mass Communication Sindh University Jamshoro v Shah Abdul Latif University Khairpur v Press Institute of Pakistan (PIP) v Raasta Development Consultants v Gallop Pakistan v CIET International v Institute of Social Research and Development (ISRD) v Entrepreneurship and career Development Institute (ECDI) v Sindh Graduates Association (SGA) v Bureau of Statistics Government of Sindh Karachi v Education Department Government of Sindh v Health Department, Government of Sindh v Local Government Department Government of Sindh v Sindh Agriculture & Forestry Workers Co-coordinating Organization (SAFWCO) v Association of Business and Professional and Agriculture Women (ABPAW) v Shaheed Zulfiqar Ali Bhutto Institute of Science & Technology (SZABIST), Center for information and Research Karachi. v Sindh Rural Development Foundation v Sindh Rural Support-programme v Pakistan Reproductive Health Network (PRHN) v Teachers Resource Center v Judiciary of Sindh for juvenile justice project v Home Department Government of Sindh. v Police Department Government of Sindh Future Plans/Strategy v SJN has large number of highly educated male and female Community Monitors to work for the achievement of aims and objects of SJN at community level. v It has organizational capacity to implement the proposals. v SJN plans to struggle against child labor, violence against women (Karo-Kari), Rape, trafficking of children, so as to stop this menace, The strategy will be announced after plan-preparation. The plan is underway. v Moreover, SJN also plans to participate in water sanitation environment and health schemes of government and donors at village level especially in schools. It is going to launch public awareness campaign through inter personal communication print media/workshops/seminars/ on these issues. v SJN plans to open non-formal girls’ schools in rural areas of Sindh. v SJN has formed advocacy groups all over Sindh with the purpose of protecting child and women rights as envisaged in CRC and CEDAW. Is also engaged in creating awareness about CRC and CEDAW and is also engaged in advocacy so as to sensitize the government authorities as well as civil society to properly implement the international convention on the child rights. v SJN also plans to further streamline its struggle to save the lives of women during pregnancy by conducting workshops. Seminars, Distributing posters/ stickers, and handbills. v SJN plans to establish PTA Resource Center at Hyderabad to train PTA’s all over Sindh. The PTA master trainers of SJN. Already trained in this field will be founding members of the PTA Resource Center Hyderabad. v SJN plans to organize a series of workshops to mobilize communities, decision-makers and key journalists, Pesh Imams, Advocates to work together for the rights of the children and women. v SJN plans to publish a quarterly newsletter on regular basis for public awareness. Articles and reports about the child and women rights would be published in the newsletter on priority
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