Are Children in Religious Seminaries Receiving the Protection They Deserve?

Are Innocent Boys and Girls Studying in Religious Seminaries Left Without Protection?

Shiite News: Are the innocent boys and girls studying in religious seminaries left without protection?

What is their crime?

Is it simply that they were born into poor families?

Is it because their parents cannot afford the high fees of private schools?

Is it because, with the hope of earning spiritual reward and providing religious education, their parents entrusted their beloved children to religious seminaries?

Are these children not citizens of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan?

Does the Constitution of Pakistan not apply to them?

Should they not enjoy the same protection, dignity, freedom, and human rights that every child in the country deserves?

These young children leave the comfort of their mothers’ care and enter institutions where their accommodation, food, education, upbringing, and in many cases their entire daily lives depend on the administration of those institutions. Many seminaries operate through public donations, including Zakat, Ushr, Sadaqah, Fitrana, charity, and other community contributions. Yet, how often do we ask what these children experience emotionally? How many of their hopes and dreams remain unheard? Who listens to their silent cries?

Read More: religious seminary child safety

If an innocent child becomes a victim of abuse, if a child’s dignity is violated, or if fear, violence, or coercion robs them of their childhood, is only the perpetrator responsible? Or does responsibility also rest with a society that remains silent despite knowing such injustices may occur?