perspective- child protection - Page 8

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…

Ghost Schools

KARACHI: Apropos the letter “Ghost Teachers” published on September 19, 2024, the…

Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929 and Jinnah

The Child Marriage Restraint Act 1929 was drafted by Quaid-i-Azam- Mohammad Ali…

Labour Codes For All Working People

THE provinces of Sindh and Punjab have, with the assistance of the International Labour Organisation (ILO), prepared draft labour codes. These new codes refashion the current fragmented labour laws. The codes are designed to comply with international labour standards by extending protection to all people who work for the first time in Pakistan’s history.…

Corporal Punishment: Impacts On A Child’s Psyche

The persistence of corporal punishment in our educational and parental systems raises crucial questions about its impact on a child’s personality. In this comprehensive study, we investigate the reasons behind the continued practice of corporal punishment and its debilitating effects on children’s growth, both mentally and physically. We examine the…

Breathing Poison

How many of us would willingly put our children in a room with toxic air? Ideally, none. But in reality, we are guilty of, and perhaps blissfully unaware of, pushing our children towards harm’s way. The latest research shows the shocking impact of passive smoking on school-age children in Pakistan…

LHC Sets Rules For Juvenile Safety

LAHORE: Lahore High Court (LHC) Justice Ali Zia Bajwa has directed the government to establish observation homes to provide safe shelter for juveniles in every district. Instructing the government to ensure prompt implementation of the Juvenile Act in a judgment, Justice Bajwa issued eight directives, observing that the physical separation…

The Unfortunate Trend Of Child Marriage

Child Marriage, one of the unfortunate and rampant trends, takes place in several parts of the country despite being prohibited under the relevant laws. Child marriage is a serious violation of children’s rights, something that ensures gender inequality. Young girls, in particular, are denied to enjoy their rights to education…

Missing Priya Kumari

The disturbing case of missing seven-year-old Priya Kumari has sparked a wave of concern and action from her parents and civil society, who have reiterated their demands for transparency and urgency in the investigation. During a protest sit-in at Teen Talwar in Karachi last week, they called on the Joint…

Child Marriage Plagues Minor Girls

The rocky years of adolescence are rarely a smooth sail for budding adults, with sudden physical, emotional, and psychological changes taking a huge toll on their overall wellbeing. While an awkward pimple or emotional breakdown might exhaust an average teenager coping with the upsetting effects of puberty, for minor girls…

A Silent Epidemic: Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Thirteen-year-old Asim* was quieter than usual when he returned to his home in Jhelum from a motorcycle mechanic’s workshop after completing his first day as a chotu – a term widely used for apprentices. His father, a rickshaw driver, noticed but casually asked about his day at his new workplace…

Little Ones at Work

It is deeply unfortunate that millions of Pakistani children endure poverty and are forced into labor, a harsh reality that has persisted for years. These children work in factories due to dire economic conditions, often in extreme heat without basic rights like food or education. Imagine a child carrying heavy…

Minors for sale

THE curse of human trade has a doubly odious form child trafficking. Pakistan, too, is haunted by this ugly reality: its minors, boys and girls, have often been treated as commodities in this repellant business. It is in this context that the recent arrest of rights activist Sarim Burney on…