LAHORE: The Punjab home department has launched an awareness campaign for children to save them from sexual harassment under the chief minister’s “Safe Children, Safe Punjab” vision. In this connection, the home department has developed a special animated films series to raise awareness among the children about “good and bad touch”, releasing its first episode on Thursday. The animated series introduces two lead characters Haya and Bahadur, who educate the children how to protect
Child Rights in Focus
Karachi: President of Pakistan Pediatric Association Sindh Dr Waseem Jamalvi on Thursday said that the number of patients with diarrhoea has significantly increased in Karachi due to the port city’s rising temperatures. Dr Jamalvi told Geo News that every day, dozens of people with diarrhoea are brought to public hospitals. He emphasised that the current wave of the illness is affecting children the most. He attributed the primary causes of diarrhoea to contaminated water and substandard
ISLAMABAD: Two cases of polio from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa were confirmed on 21st May, taking the tally for the current year to 10. The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health, Islamabad, confirmed the cases of wild poliovirus in Lakki Marwat and Bannu districts. According to an official, the child belonging to Lakki Marwat is a 26-month-old girl. In Bannu, the victim is a 40-month-old boy from the Wazir tribe
PESHAWAR: The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa health department has planned the establishment of anti-rape crisis cells at all district headquarters hospitals in the province to ensure medical and legal assistance to victims of sexual assaults in line with the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act, 2021. It has directed all 26 district headquarters hospitals (DHQs) to establish and operationalise these cells, according to officials. They said that the step had been taken after consultation with the chief
QUETTA/KHUZDAR: At least six people, including three students, lost their lives and over 40 others — mostly students — sustained injuries after a bomb targeted a school bus in Khuzdar on 21st May, prompting the prime minister to visit Quetta to take stock of the security situation amid across-the-board condemnations. The condition of at least a dozen is said to be serious due to critical injuries, officials said, adding that at least 15 girl
RAWALPINDI: Additional District and Sessions Judge Afshan Ijaz Sufi has sentenced a man, Azhar, to two counts of death penalty, seven years in prison, and a fine of Rs400,000 after he was found guilty of raping and brutally murdering his minor stepsister and later desecrating her body. The court stated that the convict should be hanged until death, declaring the crime as extremely heinous and ineligible for any leniency. The case was filed by
The schedule applies to both government and private educational institutions across the respective zones in K-P. The Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) government has announced summer holidays for government and private schools across the province, Express News reported. According to a notification issued by the K-P Department of Education, summer holidays for schools in the summer zone (plains areas) will be observed from June 1 to August 31 for primary schools. For middle, high, and higher secondary
KARACHI: Taking stock of the province’s polio situation ahead of another immunisation campaign, Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah on 21st May underscored the need for collective action and accountability at every level to tackle the public health challenge. Chairing a meeting of the provincial polio task force at the CM House, Mr Shah reviewed the recent epidemiological trends, assessed the performance and finalised preparations for the upcoming polio drive. He was given a detailed
The keyword in autism spectrum disorder isn’t ‘autism’, it’s spectrum. Autism isn’t one thing — it’s a wide range of experiences, strengths, and challenges. Some autistic children speak fluently; others may be nonverbal. No two are alike. Autism is a neurodevelopmental condition affecting how a person communicates, relates to others, and processes the world. It’s not caused by parenting, screen time, or vaccines — but by differences in brain development, often starting before birth.
KARACHI: Experts representing the Pakistan Paediatric Association (PPA) and the Pakistan Medical Association (PMA) have expressed grave concern over recent reports indicating a potential significant tax relief for the import and supply of breast milk substitutes in the upcoming federal budget. In a letter to Federal Minister for National Food Security and Research Rana Tanveer Hussain, the PPA stated that the proposed tax relief threatened mother feeding and child health in Pakistan. “Such a
The Chairperson of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC) congratulated the nation on a significant legislative milestone. The National Assembly has passed a bill criminalizing child marriage within the Islamabad Capital Territory. According to the new law, no marriage can take place unless both the bride and groom are at least 18 years of age. Additionally, the presence of valid national identity cards for both individuals will be mandatory, with
LAHORE: Under the newly-enforced Birth and Death Registration Rules 2025, the local government & community development department has waived all fees related to the registration of births and deaths, as well as issuance of computerised certificates, for a period up to past seven years. The waiver of fees is a part of the government’s broader initiative to streamline the public service delivery and reduce the financial burden on people. The new rules, officially notified