The First Lady Samina Arif Alvi stressed on Tuesday the need for effective implementation of the Zainab Alert Act, an integrated single helpline, and close coordination among all the relevant organizations and stakeholders for the speedy recovery of missing children.
The first lady, while chairing a meeting during the visit of Roshni Helpline, a non-governmental organization working for the recovery of missing children, emphasized that a universal helpline for receiving public complaints and joint and coordinated efforts through a single plate farm would result in more effective and timely outcomes. There were several organizations, both in the public and private sectors, working separately to provide relief to citizens, and they have different helplines to receive grievances, she noted, adding that it might confuse the aggrieved citizens about who should be contacted in a particular situation.
Begum Alvi suggested that there should be a single and integrated helpline to receive public complaints and calls for emergency assistance. All the organizations working in different domains should work under one umbrella so that citizens can access the helpline easily and the matter can be referred to the most relevant organization for prompt and effective action. Founder of Roshni Helpline Muhammad Ali and other board members briefed the First Lady about the organization’s vision, performance, and initiatives for the protection of children, particularly the recovery of missing children.
They informed me that Roshni Helpline has close coordination with the Ministry of Human Rights, Sindh Police, provincial child protection agencies, Pakistan Railways, the Council of Islamic Ideology, and many other government and non-governmental organizations. They informed me that Roshni Helpline has served more than 20,000 families and assisted in recovering over 9000 missing children since its inception. At the same time, several steps were taken to enhance awareness and outreach. Begum Samina Arif Alvi appreciated Roshni Helpline’s endeavors and services for recovering missing children. Later, the Roshni team presented a souvenir shield and its performance report to the First Lady.
