Status of Abandoned Children: A Comparative Study of Islamic and Pakistani Law

This paper deals with the rights of abandoned children in the context of Pakistani society. The main issue is regarding legal status of such children which results in violation of their rights. Islamic law provides for rules for abandoned children which can be provided as a source for legislation in Pakistan. The paper argues that there is a need to formulate a clear legislation to ensure rights and protection of abandoned children. Currently the laws enacted in Pakistan lack provisions related to abandoned children. On the one hand the solutions like adoption/kafalah should be channelized and regularized and on the other hand serious efforts should be made to create awareness regarding rights of abandoned children among the masses. This is a comparative study which discusses and analyses relevant provisions in Islamic as well as Pakistani law.

Social Policy and Women in Pakistan

This research work is related to Social Policy and Women in Pakistan. Woman status is a critical issue all over the world, especially in developing countries. Main features of women''s lower status include poor health, illiteracy, poverty, violence by family members, and economic dependency. They face discrimination in all walks of life since childhood providing asubordinate status in the society. Major issues of women like legal safeguards, violence, poor health conditions, illiteracy, economic dependency, poverty, disinheritance by their parents’ property and lack of government and state support are discussed in this study. Primary data were collected through a structured interview guide and purposive sampling. Secondary data (qualitative and quantitative) were collected through books, journals, national and international reports. The results showed that despite the constitutional and legal safeguards available to women in Pakistan, they face violence, dispossessed, insulted and deformed. The law is unable to secure them as it is not in accordance with their socio-cultural values. Socio-cultural values are emerging from Islamic Law but state laws are in contrast to it, resulting in women poor status. Women''s health conditions are very poor because of inefficient health delivery services and women mobility to avail the facility. Non-availability of female schools tosome extent and poverty add to the female illiteracy. Economically, they are dependent, not allowed to earn and no proper system of social security available to woman in Pakistan. So it is concluded that the existing laws, the state’s lack of will towards women''s issues and poverty are the major cause of their lower status in Pakistani society.