It has been over two years since the country declared a National Education Emergency, but Pakistan is still stuck with the second-largest out-of-school population globally. A new comprehensive comparative policy review, prepared by the Civil Services Academy (CSA) and reported on by the media earlier this week, estimates that between 25.1 million and 26 million school-age children are currently out of school. The CSA review warns that without addressing systemic data and governance gaps,
Child Rights in Focus
BAHAWALPUR: Police claimed to have arrested a prayer leader on July 8 for allegedly raping a deaf and mute boy in Bahawalpur district, while another man was held for attempted sexual assault on a girl in Lodhran district. In the first incident, Sammasatta police in Bahawalpur district claimed to have arrested a prayer-leader on the charge of raping a teenage deaf and mute boy. According to the complainant, Mukhtiar Ahmed, a resident of Mauza
• SESSI approves creation of endowment fund for rehabilitation and welfare of 78 children • Okays departmental action against 37 doctors and paramedical staff of its health facility KARACHI: Days after the government confirmed that as many as 78 children had been infected with HIV/AIDS at the Sindh Employees’ Social Security Institution-run Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital, the institution has allocated a sum of Rs2 billion to set up an endowment fund to provide long-term medical
KARACHI: The body of a six-year-old boy, who went missing on July 6, was found stuffed in a gunny bag near his residence in the Lea Market area and an autopsy found he was murdered after being raped. Police claimed to have arrested the boy’s 20-year-old neighbour, who reportedly participated in a search operation launched by the victim’s family and area residents. The victim’s father, Abid Husain, told police that he is a rickshaw
KARACHI: A six-year-old boy died after falling into a 200-foot-deep well, believed to date back to the British era, in the Garden area on July 8, rescue services officials said. Rescue-1122 Spokesperson Hassaan Ul Haseeb Khan said the boy, Khalid Junaid, fell into an improperly covered well in Ghas Mandi, Garden, near Hanfia Masjid. A rescue team, along with an ambulance and a water rescue vehicle, was dispatched to the scene. He said the
The Sindh High Court on July 8 directed the Child Protection Authority and the SSPs of Khairpur and Jacobabad to ensure welfare, safety and rehabilitation of a nine-year-old girl who left the home of her parents along with her elder sister due to cruelty. The direction came on a petition of Hayatullah, who moved the court against abduction of his two daughters on May 12, 2025 from the Clifton area. The petitioner submitted that
GUJRAT: A man on 7 July killed his 10-year-old grandson to implicate his opponents in Sech Kalar area in Wahndo police precincts, Gujranwala. Police claimed to have traced and arrested the suspect within eight hours of the incident. Reports said police had found Shoaib (10) slain in an open field near his house. Police shifted the body to the hospital for autopsy and collected evidence from the crime scene whereas the city police officer
LAHORE: The Lahore District Education Authority has recommended the sealing of 213 private schools operating without registration. The move comes as part of a drive to ensure compliance with education laws, improve student safety and regulate the rapidly expanding private education sector across the provincial capital. According to sources, the authority has forwarded a summary to the district administration, requesting action against the identified schools. Once approved, the district administration will initiate the sealing
PESHAWAR: The Unicef has pledged to design the Peshawar Children’s Hospital in a way that it will look like a children’s park instead of a hospital, according to an official. “Being a 100pc Children’s Hospital, all its buildings will wear a fantastic look when its interior designing is finished. The Unicef is sending a team of experts from Lahore to give a fascinating shape to the facility for which the government has promised to
This video contains a discussion of abuse, including predatory and abusive behavior towards children. TEDx events are independently organized by volunteers. Abuse often begins not with obvious harm, but with trust, praise, and attention that slowly become grooming. In this powerful talk, Amy Saltzman, M.D., a former competitive gymnast, physician, and victim/”sur-thrivor” of decades of covert emotional abuse, explains how abusers use specialness, fear, and isolation to create dependency and control. Her message is
From Taunsa, to Ratodero and now Karachi. It seems like there is not a town or city left in Pakistan where the country’s children are safe from HIV, one of the most dangerous diseases in the world. Last week, the Sindh labour minister reportedly confirmed that at least 78 children had been infected with HIV at Kulsoom Bai Valika Hospital in Karachi. Reports say that this allegedly is due to the reuse of contaminated
Some of the riskiest teen online spaces aren’t the ones parents check. Discord and Reddit work very differently from apps like Instagram or TikTok. Discord lets users join servers and private groups with little identity verification, while anonymity is a default on Reddit, making both harder for parents to track. Nukta spoke to Pakistani teenagers who described harassment and manipulation on these platforms, and also spoke with the helpline lead at Digital Rights Foundation