Perspective - Page 20

Insights From the 2023 Census Report

The 2023 Census conducted by the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics released its complete report in July 2024 indicates that the total population of Pakistan is 240 million out of which the population of children under 18 is 112 Million (47% of the total population). Children Population (under 18) Population under 18 Total Male Female Transgender Pakistan 112,472,700 58,099,978 54,370,121 2,601…

Permitted age for employment of children as domestic workers

Do you know what the minimum age is for children in the different provinces of Pakistan to be employed as domestic workers? Child labour is a provincial subject in Pakistan after the 18th Constitutional Amendment in 2010. The 18th Constitutional Amendment devolved the issue of labour and employment to the…

Juvenile Offenders in Punjab

The total number of convicted and undertrial juveniles imprisoned in various borstal…

Transport For Schooling

A JUDGE at the Lahore High Court recently ordered that schools should arrange for…

Brutality Behind Rejections

The Islamabad IG has rightly called this a case of ‘repeated rejections’. Another young woman has been silenced, not by society’s disapproval of her ambitions, but by its refusal to protect her from male entitlement and rage. The brutal murder of 17-year-old social media influencer Sana Yousaf in Islamabad, allegedly…

Nutritional Status Of Children Under-five (National, Provincial)

Malnutritional Indicators of Children Under Five (%) Indicator Total Boys Girls Stunting 40 40.9 39.4 Wasting 17.7 18.4 17 Underweight 29 29.3 28.4 Overweight 9.5 9.7 9.2 Source: NNS 2018 Provincial/Regional Breakdown of Malnutrition Indicators (%) Region Stunting Wasting Underweight Overweight ICT 32.6 12.1 19.2 5.8 Balochistan 46.6…

Save The Girls

SOME traditions that hinder individual progress are a heavy cross for society to bear. In Pakistan’s deeply patriarchal environment, where a female child’s agency is determined by her biological age, President Asif Zardari’s assent to the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, despite resistance from the Council of…

Measles Outbreak

Measles is not a new disease. Nor is its prevention a mystery. The future of any nation rests in the hands of its children — a truth so self-evident, it should never need repeating. Yet in Pakistan, and particularly in Sindh, we are reminded all too often that the most basic…

New Polio Cases

The number of polio cases recorded this year continues to tick up, with the ninth and tenth cases confirmed this week. After several years of bouncing between double-digit caseloads and then coming within touching distance of eradication, Pakistan remains a concern for international bodies and donors — and many local experts…

Measles Claim Territory In District East

With no vaccination drive conducted this year, the latest outbreak continues to threaten the safety of children KARACHI: The future of a nation relies heavily on the health and well-being of its children, who must be protected from childhood diseases through rigorous vaccination drives. Unfortunately, in Sindh, where routine immunization…

Autism And Misconceptions About It

The keyword in autism spectrum disorder isn’t ‘autism’, it’s spectrum. Autism isn’t one thing — it’s a wide range of experiences, strengths, and challenges. Some autistic children speak fluently; others may be nonverbal. No two are alike. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting how a person communicates, relates to others,…

Education And Emergencies

TENSIONS between Pakistan and India have once again led to incursions and attacks. And there are real fears of escalation to a full-scale war between the two countries that have nuclear weapons. India attacked several places early on 7th May. Given the situation, the Islamabad and Punjab governments announced the closure of…

Our Vulnerable Children

Some 3,364 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan in 2024, according to Sahil’s annual Cruel Numbers report – an alarming figure that should shock the conscience of the nation. The cases, drawn from media reports across all provinces, include 1,828 incidents of child sexual abuse, 1,204 abductions, 241…

Pakistan’s Children

THE National Commission on the Rights of the Child recently published its first-ever report of data, challenges and recommendations on the State of Children in Pakistan, 2024. While the state of child rights remains dismal in Pakistan, this government-owned reflective report is a welcome change from the time when similar…