The Balochistan Child Labour Survey (BCLS) 2023 provides unique information about the living conditions of children in the province as well as their daily activities, including schooling, working, and household chores. The survey employed a two-stage stratified sampling strategy to ensure district-level representativeness across urban and rural areas. In the first stage, the Pakistan Bureau of Statistics (PBS) selected Primary Sampling Units (PSUs) within each Tehsil. In the second stage, following a listing exercise,
Child Rights in Focus
ISLAMABAD: Security threats continue to hinder Pakistan’s nationwide polio vaccination efforts as officials reported on August 20 that nearly 800,000 children continually miss their vaccinations, and in response to pressure from donors, a new goal is set to halve this number in hard-to-reach areas of the country. The challenge was outlined by a high-level Rotary International delegation visiting Pakistan, which announced that concerted efforts would be made to improve coverage during the upcoming polio campaign
The interior ministry revealed on August 19 that out of 567 sexual abuse cases registered in Islamabad between January 2021 and June 2025, 200 involved children. Responding in writing to Senator Shahadat Awan, the ministry detailed that among the child victims, 93 were boys and 108 were girls. A total of 222 accused were arrested in connection with these cases. However, only 12 have been convicted so far, while 163 remain under trial, 15
TWENTY-ONE children have been paralysed by polio in Pakistan this year, the latest two in Kohistan and Badin. Each new case is a painful reminder that we remain one of only two countries where the virus still spreads. That a disease wiped out in most of the world still stalks our children is not just a health failure, it is a governance crisis. Billions of dollars have been invested in our eradication programme over
PESHAWAR: Following the devastating floods in northern districts of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the provincial government has closed all educational institutions in the winter zone for a week to “protect the lives of students and staff members.” The natural disaster has killed over 360 people and injured 181 in different districts, mostly in Buner, lately. The other affected districts include Swat, Shangla, Bajuar, Lower Dir, Battagram and Mansehra. Swabi recorded 23 deaths on Tuesday. The education department said
LAHORE: The participants in a seminar at the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) on 19th September highlighted an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities during the last year. Launched at the seminar, the HRCP’s report, Streets of Fear: Freedom of Religion or Belief in 2024/25, documents a deeply troubling year for religious freedom and minority rights in Pakistan. The report points out an alarming rise in violence against religious minorities, including targeted killings of
RAWALPINDI: The Lahore High Court (LHC) Rawalpindi Bench on 18th August admitted for regular hearing a petition challenging the Punjab government’s decision to extend summer vacations in schools until August 31. The petition was filed by a seventh-grade student arguing that the government’s decision was “arbitrary and unlawful” and violated students’ fundamental right to education under Article 25-A of the Constitution. LHC Justice Jawad Hassan heard the petition. Advocate Hafiz Waqar Ahmed Awan, representing
KARACHI: At least seven people were killed in Karachi on Tuesday after heavy monsoon rains battered the city, flooding neighbourhoods, paralysing traffic and knocking out power, prompting the mayor to enforce a rain emergency. Dark clouds covered the city by afternoon, followed by heavy showers with strong winds in areas such as Surjani Town, Federal B Area, Gulshan-e-Iqbal, Qayyumabad, Gulistan-e-Jauhar, Malir, Shahrah-e-Faisal, Nazimabad, and New Karachi. Rainwater quickly inundated major roads and residential streets,
BADIN: In the aftermath of the devastating 2024 floods that swept away homes and halted education across Badin, Government Girls Primary School (GGPS) Chanri has emerged as a symbol of resilience. The GGPS Chanri, once ill-equipped to handle repeated disasters, has been transformed into a safe space for learning and shelter through UK support under the BRAVE (Building Resilience and Addressing Vulnerability in Emergencies) programme. The 2024 floods were not the first to batter
Lahore: With river levels rising to dangerous highs and major dams nearing full capacity, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) has warned that the coming weeks could bring further devastation. Issuing an emergency alert, the authority noted that areas of Punjab have been inundated by its seventh monsoon wave, submerging villages and farmland in Kasur, Bahawalnagar and Narowal. Floodwaters breached protective embankments, destroying crops and forcing mass evacuations. Rescue workers deployed boats to ferry
The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Department of Elementary and Secondary Education has released an official report detailing the damage caused by recent cloudbursts and flash floods across the Hazara region. According to the report, seven schools, comprising four primary, two middle, and one high school, have been completely destroyed in Abbottabad, Mansehra, and Battagram, while 638 schools have sustained partial damage. In Abbottabad, a female student tragically lost her life, and two individuals, including a teacher
SOUTH WAZIRISTAN: Armed men shot and injured two men before abducting the principal of a private educational institution in Wana, Lower South Waziristan, on 18th August. According to DSP Imranullah, the armed assailants intercepted principal Rahmatullah Wazir outside the school, forced him into a car and took him away. Sources confirmed that two bystanders were injured when the abductors opened fire during the incident. The injured men were shifted to the district headquarters hospital