perspective- child protection - Page 3

Juvenile Offenders in Punjab

The total number of convicted and undertrial juveniles imprisoned in various borstal institutes and jails of Punjab province was 645 as on 15 March 2022 (Prisons Department, Govt. of Punjab). Out of the total number of juvenile offenders, 81% (523) juveniles were on trial (under trial) and 19% were convicted juvenile offenders. All juvenile offenders were male and no female…

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…

Missing Priya Kumari

The disturbing case of missing seven-year-old Priya Kumari has sparked a wave…

Child Marriages – A Vicious Cycle of Poverty and Abuse

KARACHI: Despite being illegal, child marriages continue to affect millions of young…

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…

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…

Underage Brides

PAKISTAN has the sixth highest number globally of girls married before the age of 18. Child marriage is prevalent in the country due to several reasons, including outdated customs and traditions, poverty, lack of awareness and access to education, and lack of security. After the devastating floods in 2022, the…

Child Marriage: Laws, Verdicts, Solutions

Pakistan turned 77 this year, yet the children harbored by the fifth most populated country continue to be failed by the state. One of the many challenges in this regard is child marriage. The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 Section 2(a) defines a “child” as “a person who, if a…

Ending Child Marriage

There have been numerous attempts by private members of Pakistan’s National Assembly and Senate to amend the country’s Child Marriage Restraint Act of 1929. In recent years, the proposed amendments have been repeatedly tabled and rejected. These include the Child Marriage Restraint (Amendment) Bill 2014, moved by MNAs Marvi Memon,…

Child Protection

A FEW weeks ago, an 11-year-old girl in Karachi was kidnapped, tortured, raped, and murdered. Her body was discarded in a garbage dump. The Sindh Police responded swiftly, and apprehended the suspect. The culprit may face justice. But is this the end of the story? Unfortunately, such horrifying incidents are…

Rape Scars

When the girl child is viewed as a lesser mortal and children are violated with alarming frequency, it is time to concede that the rot in society runs deep. While incidents of child abuse, rape and murder mount across the country, the nation refuses to rise in anger. Recently, a…