Perspective - Page 33

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…

Countering Cybercrime

THE new National Cyber Crime & Investigation Authority appears to have landed in limbo, with the authorities apparently unsure about what purpose they expect to see it fulfil. According to a news report in this paper, the government has formally repealed the rules devised to govern the body, leaving its…

Ending Polio

WITH polio cases in Pakistan rising sharply in recent weeks, the government has unveiled the National Emergency Action Plan for Polio 2024-25. The country has already reported 39 cases this year, compared to just six in 2023. The spike has raised concerns about our ability to eradicate the virus, with…

Classroom Change

AS the world gets smaller, with knowledge-sharing across borders, the growth of AI and easy access to free learning platforms, teachers find newer ways of teaching. Many schools have addressed the need for change, collaborating within their teams to design better lesson plans, cater to students’ changing learning styles, and…

Fabricated?

The recent incident involving the alleged rape of a college student in Lahore has spiralled into a troubling saga of misinformation, protests and official inquiries. Following social media reports claiming that a young female student was sexually assaulted at a girls’ college in Gulberg, protests erupted, reflecting widespread outrage and…

Protecting Children

THIS country’s children make the news for unfortunate reasons. At the core of their plight is the state’s inability to recognise that child rights violations indicate administrative failure and a rejection of our young ones’ existence. The Anti-Kidnap for Ransom Unit of the Lahore Organised Crime Unit and the Azad…

Innocence Lost

29 kidnapped children rescued in Pakistan’s Kotli district highlight the urgent need for anti-trafficking measures. Child trafficking remains a pressing issue in Pakistan, with thousands of vulnerable children falling victim to this heinous crime every year. The recent recovery of 29 kidnapped children from the Kotli district underscores the urgent…

Educational Divide

WHILE basic education is a constitutional right of every child in Pakistan, millions of children and youth remain deprived of this fundamental means of living a quality life. The recently launched District Education Performance Index (DEPI) by the Ministry of Planning and Development represents a significant step towards comparing the…

Diphtheria Threat

Karachi faces a diphtheria outbreak, with 28 child deaths in 2023, exposing gaps in vaccination and critical care. Pakistan’s healthcare system continues to show cracks as another preventable tragedy unfolds in Karachi. This year, 28 children have lost their lives to diphtheria – a bacterial disease that could have been…

Rising Rape

MISOGYNY is the bane of women’s lives across the globe as it robs them of autonomy over their bodies. This is reflected in the latest Unicef estimates that include global and regional assessments on sexual violence against children; they show that over 370m women and girls endured rape or sexual…

Saving Our Children

In 2018, the horrific Zainab rape and murder case shocked the nation, prompting leaders to promise a safer environment for children. Yet, five years later, the situation remains dire. Recent reports of six boys rescued from their abusers by Punjab police reveal that children in Pakistan continue to be at…