Islamabad : Ayesha Raza Farooq, chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child and National Coordinator for Polio Eradication, has been conferred the Ordre National du Mérite (Knight) by the government of France.
During a special ceremony here, the award was presented by French Ambassador Nicolas Galey to Ayesha in recognition of her services to human rights, particularly children’s rights, education and polio eradication, as well as her contribution to strengthening cooperation between Pakistan and France.
Praising her longstanding engagement, the envoy said for a few years, his embassy had been counting Ayesha amongst its most precious contacts as she was always there when needed, always fully committed to the common causes.
Focusing on her work for children, he said as chairperson of the NCRC, she had been a strong advocate of education at a time when millions of children remained out of school.
Stressing the broader principle, he said children's rights were an integral part of human rights and must be defended all the more because children didn't have the same opportunities to express themselves as adults, they very rarely know their rights and therefore others must speak for them and make these rights respected.
On polio eradication, Ambassador Galey said as the national coordinator for the polio campaign, Ayesha worked tirelessly to ensure that every child in the country is vaccinated, while some groups question the usefulness of vaccines, and sometimes deny it with violence.
He outlined France’s support for initiatives promoting children’s rights, including awareness campaigns against child domestic labour and child sexual abuse, as well as projects to strengthen child protection and establish “safe spaces” for women and girls.
