ISLAMABAD: Health experts have blamed the lack of coordination between the federal and the provincial governments for the resurgence of polio cases in the country, saying the decision to hand over the anti-polio programme to `outsiders` from the global health agencies in 2021 exacerbated the situation. In this year, over 100 environmental samples have been found positive for polio and two children have been paralysed due to this virus. According to experts who spoke
Child Rights in Focus
Seema’s battle with fistula unveils the tragedy of early marriage, urging society to confront the intertwined dangers of child marriage and women’s health crises. Seema, a resident of Astore District of Gilgit-Baltistan, received the title, ‘Woman of the Year’, not for her achievements, but for a fate imposed upon her at a tender age: child marriage. One can’t help but wonder how entering into a marriage contract at a tender age warrants this title.
Several people glorify different forms of abusive behaviour by parents to discipline children, despite the existence of non-abusive alternatives that work well. When asked about the long-term consequences of such abuse, they are unaware at best or dismissive at worst. Dismissive answers can be as simple as `we turned out fine` or, in a nostalgic reflection, they can bring up the virtues of `old school` parenting. This begs the question: if despite experiencing emotional
KARACHI: Sindh Education Minister Sardar Ali Shah on 30 April 2024 informed Chief Minister (CM) Murad Ali Shah that the insufficient number of middle and secondary schools in the province was the major reason behind the 54 per cent drop-out rate for children at the post-primary level. He told a meeting of the school education department, chaired by the CM, that over 4.1 million children were out of school after primary school education as
ISLAMABAD: Unicef Pakistan on 30 April, 20204 launched its National Gender Strategy (2024-2027) to bring about lasting and transformative change for millions of girls between 10-19 years. Unicef said that if the strategy was implemented effectively from urban to rural areas, it could drive change, address inequalities and improve the lives of all girls and women, including those living with disabilities. `Striving for equal opportunities for all, especially girls, is fundamental to Pakistan’s progress.
ISLAMABAD: The federal government in principle has decided to declare a four-year education emergency in the country to tackle out-of-school-children and other pressing issues in the sector. Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in coming days is likely to declare the education emergency. Sources said the PM was expected to chair a conference on 30 April 2024, but on Monday night it was postponed for a few days because of his other engagements. Pakistan has 26.2
HYDERABAD: Three more children died from measles complications in Tando Allahyar on 29 April, where the disease had claimed lives of five children on April 26, prompting departmental inquiry and action against officials concerned. A team of officials of Expanded Programme on Immunisation (EPI) has arrived in Tando Allahyar from Karachi to conduct the inquiries, which led to action against three vaccinators and focal person. The team led by Dr Sohail Shaikh, additional project
LAHORE: The Child Protection Welfare Bureau (CPWB) has proposed the Child Marriage Restraint Bill 2024-25 to the Punjab government. The bill suggests increasing the minimum age for girls to marry to 18 years. CPWB Chairperson Sarah Ahmad has written to Punjab Home Secretary Noorul Amin Mengal, emphasizing the urgent need to address the harmful practice of child marriage. She cited the Pakistan Demographic Health Survey 2017-18, which revealed that 18pc of women aged between
KARACH: Forty-three areas in 11 districts, including 34 in Karachi division alone, are at a high polio risk whereas more than 38,000 cases of refusals were reported in the province during the national immunisation days observed in February this year. This was shared during a meeting of the provincial task force for the eradication of polio held at the CM House on 27 April 2024. The meeting, presided over by Chief Minister Murad Ali
LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that educational institutions in the province are being digitised in line with modern needs. The digitisation will be completed through public-private partnership. Computer tablets will be provided to teachers in schools to improve the preparation of their lessons. “Youth, especially women, can be empowered using ICT skills, because by freelancing, they can take the path of self-employment,” the chief minister said in a meeting with
Karachi: At least 10 per cent students, both boys and girls, are getting free education at over a thousand schools surveyed by provincial government officials in Sindh. Moreover, many students enjoy 25 to 50 per cent discounts at private educational institutions, said a report of Directorate of Inspection and Registration of Private Institutions (DIRPIS). The directorate working under the Sindh School Education and Literacy Department (SELD) has set out to enforce the law that
“Modern Slavery: Trafficking in women and girls in Pakistan” is a publication by the Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) which explores the issue of trafficking in persons, specifically focusing on women and girls, within the context of modern slavery in Pakistan. It examines the existing legal and policy framework in Pakistan to combat trafficking and highlights the challenges in law enforcement. Read Modern Slavery: Trafficking in women and girls in Pakistan