Musharraf vows to care for orphans
Quake raises fear of child trafficking Non-relatives not allowed to adopt
RAWALPINDI, PAKISTAN—
Before Mohamed Sajid was bundled onto a rescue helicopter from earthquake- ravaged Muzaffarabad, his father scrawled his son’s name — and his own — on a piece of paper and stuffed it into the boy’s shirt pocket.
Five days later, 13-year-old Mohamed clung to that piece of paper at Rawalpindi General Hospital — a small slip of security in his unsettled life.
“ Only my father can take me,” said Mohamed, showing the paper. “ I will wait for him.”
Since the Oct. 8 earthquake, more than a thousand children have been evacuated from the stricken region of Kashmir for medical care. Thousands more have been orphaned or separated from families, and authorities worry they might fall prey to child traffickers. The threat is most dire for infants whose parents cannot be traced, who lack any identification, and who are isolated in areas where those around them have no way of finding extended family members. Even before the quake, the U. S. State Department had labelled Pakistan “ a source, transit, and destination country for trafficked persons.” The International Labour Organization estimates 100,000 people are trafficked in the country each year. Children have been a particular target for use as labourers and in the sex industry. They often are smuggled out of Pakistan to oil- rich Middle Eastern countries for use as camel riders, preferred for the dangerous racing job because they are light. The smugglers generally pose as parents or close relatives. In recent months, about 400 children have been repatriated to Pakistan from the United Arab Emirates as the countries work to combat the problem.
In a televised address to the nation last night, Pakistani President Gen. Pervez Musharraf said his government would take “ full responsibility” for the orphans. Earlier, Prime Minister Shaukat Aziz said no nonrelatives would be allowed to adopt any child orphaned by the quake. “ The government is concerned . . . now we are checking everyone,” said Dr. Anjum Javed of the Pakistan Institute of Medical Sciences in Islamabad.