ISLAMABAD: The number of out-of-school children remains at approximately 25 million, which is over one-third of the population of children that belong to the school-going ages (5-16 years). This was revealed in a report released by the Pak Alliance for Math and Science (Pams) titled ‘The Missing Third of Pakistan’. It said this new data, based on the Population Census of 2023, is the first out-of-school children report in Pakistan that provides a tehsil-level
Child Rights in Focus
In our society, the cycle of violence often starts early for a child. The initial exposure to violence frequently comes from teachers who, in the belief that physical punishment will be a lasting lesson, use corporal punishment on the child. A few days ago, a seven-year-old boy was beaten by a seminary teacher with a thorny stick for not memorizing his lessons. The minor received injuries on different parts of his body and serious
A sessions court on 27 August 2024 awarded life imprisonment to a man for raping a 13-year-old girl. Umar Farooq was found guilty of assaulting his wife’s niece multiple times at his house in Baldia Town last year. Additional Sessions Judge (West) Irshad Hussain observed that the prosecution established its case against the accused beyond reasonable doubt. “The victim clearly implicated the above-named accused and assigned the role that he committed her rape multiple
Rawalpindi: The growing incidence of retinal abnormalities among premature infants in Pakistan calls for urgent attention and every premature infant deserves the constant attention of an ophthalmologist because premature infants are at increased risk for eye misalignment, amblyopia, and the need for glasses to develop normal vision. Through timely intervention, Al-Shifa Trust Eye Hospital has prevented sixteen thousand premature babies from developing irreparable damage to their eyes over the past eleven years. In Pakistan,
Sindh Governor Kamran Khan Tessori went to the Chhipa Foundation’s morgue on 26-August-2024 deliver the body of 12-year-old Ganga, found in the Lucky Star garbage dump in the Saddar area, to her family. During his visit, he met with Ganga’s grieving parents, expressed his condolences, and assured them of his full support. The governor described the incident as extremely tragic and conveyed his deep sympathy to the bereaved family. He emphasized that no effort
A sessions court has awarded a collective sentence of 13 years in prison to a man in a rape case. Najeeb Ahmed, alias Bobi, was found guilty of sexually abusing an 18-year-old girl multiple times through blackmail and criminal intimidation within the jurisdiction of the Madina Colony police station last year. Additional Sessions Judge (West) Irshad Hussain pronounced his order after recording evidence and final arguments from both sides. He observed that the prosecution
TOBA TEK SINGH: Following strong protest and refusal by the parents of two deceased babies to receive their bodies until strong action is taken against two lady doctors of Gojra THQ hospital, Toba Tek Singh Deputy Commissioner Muhammad Naeem Sindhu ordered an inquiry into the incident. The district administration formed a three-member inquiry committee consisting of Gojra Assistant Commissioner Noman Ali Dogar (head), district health officer Dr Kashif Nadeem, and DHQ hospital consultant gynecologist
Pakistan’s child protection system must evolve with mandatory reporting, audits, and comprehensive case management. The fact that we know of only 4,213 cases of child abuse in 2023 is an insult to common sense and arithmetic. About 26 million children are not attending schools; 3.3 million are involved in child labour; 1.2 million are engaged in begging on the streets; and one in every four households employs children as domestic workers. These are brutally
RAWALPINDI: A ninth-class student was allegedly raped in Dhoke Rajgan, Adiala Road, on Saturday, police and the victim said. Police claimed to have detained one of the alleged rapists. The 15-year-old victim lodged an FIR with Saddar Bairooni police, alleging that a boy used to chase her on her way to school and forcibly took her mobile phone number. She said after getting her number, he would send her messages but she never responded
BAJAUR: A government high school for girls in Barang tehsil here is yet to be made functional since its construction about 15 years ago, residents complained here on 25 August. The school in the Sharbati area was approved in 2006 to promote girls’ education in the region. Its building was constructed in 2008, area elders and social activists told Dawn. They said the unnecessary delay in making the school functional was causing them great
KARACHI: The body of a minor girl, stuffed in a gunny bag, was found near a garbage dump in the Lucky Star area on 25 August and doctors said she was murdered after being raped. The Saddar police said that the body was found on Mir Karam Ali Talpur Road. DIG-South Syed Asad Raza said that a passer-by informed the police about the body lying in a gunny bag. He said investigators believed that
The modern world is getting increasingly smaller and interconnected. Whether a newsbreak or a viral outbreak, it travels across continents in the blink of an eye. Just as we were beginning to breathe easier after Covid-19, another virus has silently made its way across our border and made its presence felt. Mpox, once considered as confined to the remotest regions of a few countries of the African continent, has now found its way to Pakistan, proving that