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 and Bangladesh. Data suggests that an alarming 95 percent of children in the two countries are at risk of developing health issues caused by
Child Rights in Focus
The extension of school vacations by a fortnight in Sindh – until August 14 – has triggered speculations about the actual reason behind the decision, beyond just the ongoing spell of hot weather. The media has pointed out the delay in the publication of textbooks as the prime factor behind the recent decision. However, the Sindh government’s school education and literacy department continues to dismiss these reports as biased, tarnishing the department’s well-intentioned efforts.
KARACHI: Police on 29 July claimed to have arrested a quack doctor for murdering two minor brothers after kidnapping them for ransom in Machhar Colony within the remit of the Docks police station. The police and family said that the brothers — Ahmed and Hasan, aged 8 and 10 respectively — were ‘kidnapped’ by the quack, Abdul Karim, who had planned to demand ransom from their families as he was facing financial difficulties and
KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Syed Sardar Ali Shah has directed education authorities to increase school enrolment to six million, open 2,170 viable schools under the placement plan, and remove the biometrics of 1,700 teachers from non-viable schools. He issued these instructions while chairing a meeting on 29 July in Karachi. The meeting was attended by Secretary School Education Sindh Zahid Ali Abbasi, Special Secretary Education Syed Junaid Ahmed, Additional Secretary Ghulam Akbar Barhamani, Chief
NAROWAL: The children’s nursery ward at the Shakargarh Tehsil Headquarters (THQ) Hospital has remained non-functional for the last two years, leading to an increase in newborn deaths. Despite Narowal being given district status 33 years ago and the establishment of a nursery ward at the Narowal District Headquarters (DHQ) Hospital in 2011, Shakargarh tehsil continues to lack basic health facilities. Shakargarh tehsil, comprising over six hundred villages adjacent to international and working boundaries, is
TOBA TEK SINGH: A minor Christian girl, allegedly kidnapped some five months ago, has been recovered and handed over to her parents in Chak 233 RB, Hari Singhwala, Faisalabad. According to an FIR registered on Feb 11 under sections 376, 364, 365, 420, 468, and 471 of the Pakistan Penal Code, Laiba, 11, daughter of complainant Suhail Maseeh, was abducted by Irfan Maseeh and his five accomplices and later handed over to Shafqat Shah
LAHORE: Lahore Arts Council Alhamra and the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) have signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) to advocate for and protect children’s rights. The signing ceremony featured Alhamra Chairman Razi Ahmed and NCRC Chairperson Senator Ayesha Raza Farooq. The partnership highlights children’s rights through various artistic and cultural platforms, including literature, theatre, music, and painting. Both institutions are committed to leveraging these mediums to raise awareness about
Two families lose siblings in a tube well, swamp DASKA: Four children drowned in two incidents reported from the Daska area during the past 48 hours. According to local officials, nine-year-old Mudassir and eight-year-old Umair, sons of Qamar, drowned while bathing after going along with their mother to their outhouse. The siblings went to bathe in the water flowing from a tube well to irrigate the fields. Their mother got busy with some work.
PESHAWAR: As the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) government faces a financial crisis, education in the province is likely to take a hit since the authorities have reportedly decided to sell lands owned by the education department to address the financial shortfall, sources told Geo News on 27, July. The sources said that the land bought for the Bacha Khan Greater Educational Complex in Mardan would be put on sale to clear the payments of landowners.
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 of juveniles from adult offenders in detention facilities is non-negotiable, with separate lockups and detention centres for young offenders. Justice Bajwa disposed of a
Two women and a teenage girl were murdered by their relatives in the name of so-called honour in separate heart-rending incidents in the city on 24 July. The gruesome murders once again show the danger to life women face in our society for merely making choices about their own lives. In a tragic incident in Quaidabad, a mother-of-two whose husband works abroad, was killed at her home, with initial investigations suggesting that her brother-in-law
QUETTA: The National Emergency Operation Centre (NEOC) coordinator has stressed the need to launch effective anti-polio campaigns and improve routine immunisation to eradicate the poliovirus. Only three to four effective anti-polio campaigns are required to eliminate the virus fully, Anwarul Haq, a retired army captain, said while chairing a high-level meeting at the Zhob commissioner’s office on Saturday. Mr Haq acknowledged that the current year`s situation was worse than last year, with environmental samples