Child Protection Measures and Alternative Care Interventions (Jan 2022 – Aug 2024) Actions Taken ICT KP Balochistan M F X Total M F X Total M F X Total Number of Children Reunified with family 290 20 – 310 256 129 – 385 65 14 – 79 Kinship care – – – – 287 91 – 387 – – – – Foster care – – – – 7 4 – 11 – –
Child Rights in Focus
Adopted, Foster, or Stepchild by Age and Province (%) Province 0-4 years 5-9 years 10-14 years 15-17 years Total Balochistan 9.3 8.2 2.4 1.7 3.7 KP 32.7 11.8 6.2 2 6.9 Punjab – – – – 9.4 Sindh 24.1 13.6 4 0.8 – Source: MICS (Balochistan 2019-20, KP 2019, Sindh 2018-19, Punjab 2017-18)
Afghan Refugees in Pakistan by Province (30 June 2025) Province/Region Population % Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 717,945 52.70 Balochistan 326,584 24.00 Punjab 195,188 14.30 Sindh 75,510 5.50 ICT 43,154 3.20 AJK 4,419 0.30 Source: UNHCR
Age and Gender Profile of Registered Afghan Refugees in Pakistan (30 June 2025) Total Population 1,362,800 Years Male (%) Female (%) 0-4 7.30 7.30 5-11 years 12.60 12.10 12-17 years 6.90 6.40 18-59 years 23.80 19.70 60+ 2.30 1.60 Source: UNHCR
Babies Residing with Incarcerated Mothers in Women’s Jails in Sindh (as on 31 Dec 2024) Prison Number of Babies Women’s Jail Karachi 40 Women’s Jail Hyderabad 12 Women’s Jail Sukkur 13 Total 65 Source: Prison Department Sindh
KARACHI: A teenage boy reportedly died of heatstroke as temperature crossed 40 degree Celsius mark in parts of the city on 30th May. The boy, aged around 15 years, was brought dead to the Dr Ruth Pfau Civil Hospital Karachi from Moachko. “His post-mortem examination was carried out. It was apparently a heatstroke case,” Police Surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed told Dawn. Sources said he was a homeless person and the body was found in Murad
KHYBER: A student died after he was tortured by the head of a primary school in Jamrud tehsil of Khyber district on 30th May, the police said. They added that Waqar Ahmad, head of a private school in Sur Kamar locality, subjected a student of grade 5, Khiyal Mat Khan, to corporal punishment during the morning assembly, leaving him critically injured. The student later succumbed to his injuries in hospital. The police said that
Children Released on Probation in Punjab and Balochistan (Jan 2022 – Sep 2024) Children Released on Probation (1 Jan 2022- 30 Sep 2024) in Punjab Year Total Age Group Gender 11-15 Years 16-17 Years M F X 2022 98 5 93 96 2 – 2023 89 33 56 89 – – 2024 120 34 86 120 – – (1 Jan- 30 Sep 2024) Source: Punjab Probation and Parole Service, Home Department, Govt. of Punjab
SOME traditions that hinder individual progress are a heavy cross for society to bear. In Pakistan’s deeply patriarchal environment, where a female child’s agency is determined by her biological age, President Asif Zardari’s assent to the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill, 2025, despite resistance from the Council of Islamic Ideology — which said that classifying under-18 marriages as rape was in conflict with religious law — deserves applause. Pakistan, where some 19m
QUETTA: Balochistan Chief Minister Sarfraz Bugti formally launched the Balochistan Youth Policy on 30th May in a grand ceremony, describing it as a major initiative to empower the province’s youth and address systemic neglect. “The Youth Policy is one of the best programmes ever introduced for the young people of Balochistan,” Mr Bugti said at the event in Quetta. He acknowledged delays in its implementation, saying, “This policy was meant to be announced six months
ISLAMABAD: President Asif Ali Zardari on 30th May signed into law the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2025, setting a minimum legal age of 18 years for marriages in the federal capital and prescribing punishment for the characters behind violations. While civil society organisations and the Pakistan Peoples Party, whose members tabled the bill in the two houses of parliament, hailed the president’s decision despite opposition by religious segments of society as
DEPIx Rankings: National and Provincial Performance in Learning, Inclusion, and Governance (2023) Region Overall Index Score Learning Inclusion: Equity & Technology Goverance & Management National 53.46 47.52 58.67 56.18 Balochistan 45.5 44.94 50.64 48.53 KP 54.47 44.18 52.8 65.94 Punjab 61.39 51.02 75.05 56.4 Sindh 51.55 49.93 54.5 53.28 Source: DEPIx Report 2023