UN - Page 17

Ghost Schools

KARACHI: Apropos the letter “Ghost Teachers” published on September 19, 2024, the issue of ghost schools is another sad reality in Pakistan’s education system. These schools exist only in name, with buildings left abandoned and teachers still collecting salaries without fulfilling their responsibilities. However, the problem goes beyond just missing educators. The rise of child labour in the country is…

child labour in auto industry in Pakistan

Rapid assessment of child labour in automobile repair workshops in Pakistan

This Rapid Assessment examines child labour at automobile repair workshops in Pakistan, with a view to providing updated information on its magnitude, identifying factors that push children into this form of child labour and reviewing national efforts to address the phenomenon. Based on its findings, it offers recommendations for policy…

Local Production Of Iron, Folic Acid Supplements May Curb Anaemia In 15m Pakistani Girls

ISLAMABAD: The local production of Weekly Iron and Folic Acid Supplementation (WIFAS)…

Vaccination Centres Inaugurated in Peshawar, Mardan

PESHAWAR: Health Minister Syed Qasim Ali Shah on 14 August 2024 inaugurated…

Unicef to launch child rights protection programme

KARACHI: The Sindh government and Unicef on 16 May 2024 agreed to launch a child protection programme to reduce child rights violations and harmful traditional practices. A statement issued from CM House said that Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah and Unicef Country Representative Abdullah A. Fadil in their meeting…

Child marriages: LHC Judgement

THE recent judgement of the Lahore High Court in ‘Azka Wahid vs Province of Punjab’ has declared the arbitrary distinction in the legally prescribed minimum age of marriage in the Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 18 years for men and 16 years for women as unconstitutional. Decades of lobbying…

Women failed to benefit from progress made in sexual, reproductive health: report

ISLAMABAD: As the world has made strides in sexual and reproductive health and rights over the last 30 years, the number of women who cannot benefit from this is still in millions. These observations were made on Tuesday when UNFPA launched the annual report on the State of the World…

Fistula and child marriages

Seema’s battle with fistula unveils the tragedy of early marriage, urging society to confront the intertwined dangers of child marriage and women’s health crises. Seema, a resident of Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, received the title, ‘Woman of the Year’, not for her achievements, but for a fate imposed upon her…

Unicef Pakistan launches National Gender Strategy

ISLAMABAD: Unicef Pakistan on 30 April, 20204 launched its National Gender Strategy (2024-2027) to bring about lasting and transformative change for millions of girls between 10-19 years. Unicef said that if the strategy was implemented effectively from urban to rural areas, it could drive change, address inequalities and improve the…

Floods pour cold water over Pakistans dream to become malaria-free

ISLAMABAD: While World Malaria Day was observed under a global theme, ‘Accelerating the fight against malaria for a more equitable world’ on 25 April 2024, Pakistan has committed to controlling the mosquito-borne disease, hoping to ‘become malaria free by 2035’. Once, Pakistan was eying the status of a malaria-free country…

Minister calls for addressing education challenges

ISLAMABAD: Education Minister Dr Khalid Maqbool Siddiqui on 23rd April 2024 said challenges of education could not be addressed until the provinces and the federation worked in unison. He highlighted the importance of ensuring that all stakeholders were on the same page and owned the direction taken by the federal…

Non-Muslim women vulnerable to forced conversion

ISLAMABAD: United Nations (UN) human rights experts have expressed dismay at the lack of protection for women and girls belonging to non-Muslim communities in Pakistan, saying that they remained vulnerable to forced marriages and conversions, Dawn.com reported. “Christian and Hindu girls remain particularly vulnerable to forced religious conversion, abduction, trafficking,…

Catch-up drive to immunise children begins in Punjab

The Punjab government has launched the largest routine immunisation catch-up activity in all the 3,572 union councils of the province from April 1 and it will continue till April 30, 2024, to vaccinate each and every child in the province. The activity will be carried out in all the districts…

Situation Analysis of Child Online Protection in Pakistan

The report titled “Situation Analysis of Child Online Protection in Pakistan” provides an overview of the current state of child online protection in Pakistan. It highlights the importance of addressing the risks and dangers faced by children in the digital world, such as cyberbullying, online grooming, and sharing of sexual…