Perspective - Page 40

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…

Preventing suicide

IN a significant stride towards mental health reform, Pakistan decriminalised attempted suicide (later challenged in the Federal Sharia Court) by repealing Section 325 of the Pakistan Penal Code, a change that stands out for its compassion and understanding. The repeal is complemented by the Mental Health Act`s Section 49, which…

Measles spike

IT is an unfortunate reality that in Pakistan, far too many children are afflicted by, and, in fact, lose their lives to, vaccine-preventable diseases. Amongst these ailments is measles, and as a report in this paper has pointed out, there has been a sustained surge in the number of measles…

Anti-rape ordinance

THE much-anticipated Anti-Rape Ordinance 2020 introduced chemical castration as punishment for rapists. In doing so, however, it missed the very critical point that rape is not merely a physical act, and that it is triggered by many serious social and psychological conditions. More stringent measures are required to deter such…

Save the children

Climate crises negatively impact everyone indiscriminately. Disasters caused by climate change affect women, the elderly and children across the globe. The threats of climate change to the lives of children are numerous and dangerous. Climate-led disasters become fatal for children. According to Unicef, every year, environmental factors take the lives…

Depressed students

In this day and age it is very easy for students like myself to hand over our minds and bodies to depression. It is something which is seemingly increasing day by day among young people. In today’s world students are prone to go into depression as there is a lot…

Education board discrepancies

The recent revelations of financial and administrative discrepancies, coupled with exam tampering, at the Board of Intermediate Education, Karachi (BIEK) have sparked deep concerns about the integrity of the educational system in Sindh province. The findings, uncovered by an inquiry committee appointed by Sindh caretaker Chief Minister Maqbool Baqar, paint…

The Case of Missing Children

In the recently-published annual report of Roshni Helpline 1138, a non-profit from Karachi, a total of 2,633 cases of missing children were reported in the country from January to December 2023. Of those, 1,942 were successfully recovered and reunited with their parents. However, the organisation, which focuses on missing children…

Children at work

Survey for K-P in 2022-23 reveals that 922,314 children are engaged in work constituting 11.1% of population Even though, child labour is prohibited in Pakistan with several laws mandating action against employers, millions of children across the country are currently working across different sectors. The first Child Labour Survey for…

Countering child marriage

For decades, the menace of child marriage has cast a shadow over Pakistani society, shattering the futures of countless children. Despite the presence of laws prohibiting the practice, child marriages continue at an alarming rate across the country. A provincial-level consultation workshop was organised in Peshawar to address the issue.…

Reforming School Exams in Pakistan

The school exam is the cornerstone of any educational system which is responsible for assessing the academic performance of students based on a prescribed curriculum and textbooks, certifying that the students have met certain standards, and evaluating the education system’s performance for the purposes of accountability. School exams exert a…