Childhood is a time of innocence, joy and learning. To quote Dave Pelzer, “Childhood should be carefree, playing in the sun; not living a nightmare in the darkness of the soul.” Sadly, for millions of Pakistani children, these formative years are clouded by the dark realities of child labour. These children labour long hours for a pittance in exploitative conditions – exposed to hazardous tools and environments. This deprivation not only snatches their rights
Child Rights in Focus
CM launches show for students from across the province LAHORE: Punjab Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif launched the largest government schools science and technology show in the country’s history. She visited the Government Pilot Higher Secondary School and distributed cash prizes among the winners of Jashn STEAM (science, technology, engineering, arts and methamatics) in eight categories. Students and their teachers from Hafizabad, Jhang, Dera Ghazi Khan and Multan received prizes. Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz viewed
LHC upholds family court ruling, declares oral adoption invalid and sides with biological parents LAHORE: The Lahore High Court (LHC) has upheld a family court’s ruling, declaring that biological parents have the preferential right to a child’s custody, declaring the oral adoption arrangement unjustified. The court further observed that the minor could not inherit from the adopter family, reinforcing the legal and Islamic principles governing guardianship and inheritance. The case revolved around Ameer Hamza,
• Human rights body calls for concrete strategy to combat such crime • Legislation regarding children, differently abled rights deferred • Sindh police chief says 289 kidnapping cases reported last year, 269 children recovered ISLAMABAD: A parliamentary body on 11th February focused on key legislative and administrative matters concerning children’s rights, the protection of persons with disabilities, safeguarding minorities, and measures to prevent crimes against children. The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights convened
LAHORE: In a first-of-its-kind initiative, the Punjab Home Department has set up beggary barracks in every jail across the province, increasing the total capacity to 10,000 beggars with spaces for women and children as well. In Lahore’s two jails, the department has designated barracks to keep 1,000 beggars while others will be accommodated in the jails of Kasur, Sheikhpura, Gujranwala, Multan, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi, Gujranwala, Bahawalpur, Narowal, etc. The prisons department has managed food and
NAROWAL: Sialkot police claimed on 11th February to have arrested two suspects, one of them for sexually assaulting two minor brothers and the other for allegedly raping a widow, in separate cases. In the first incident, Ghulam Murtaza, a resident of Raipur Awan village in Sialkot district complained to the police that the suspect ‘H’, sexually assaulted two minor sons of his sister by trespassing her house. He said the 12 and eight-year-old children
MUZAFFARABAD: Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK) Prime Minister Chaudhry Anwar ul Haq on 11th February announced that all orphan students studying in schools and colleges across the state would be exempt from registration and examination fees of the AJK Board of Intermediate and Secondary Education (AJKBISE). He made this announcement while addressing the annual medal and award distribution ceremony of the AJKBISE in Mirpur as the chief guest. In the future, no student from
KARACHI: Emphasising the need for creating public awareness about epilepsy, experts at a programme held on 11th February shared that the much stigmatised neurological disorder largely affected young children, the majority of whom could be effectively treated, if the disease was timely diagnosed and the parents ensured compliance to the treatment protocol. The event was organised in connection with World Epilepsy Day at the National Institute of Child Health (NICH) in collaboration with the
RAWALPINDI: A minor housemaid was shifted to the hospital in critical condition after she was allegedly tortured and ill-treated by her employers, husband and wife. Police have taken the couple and the woman, who brought the girl to the hospital, into custody and started an investigation. A team from the Child Protection Bureau Rawalpindi also reached the hospital. The incident came to light after the victim was shifted to hospital from the Asghar Mall
ISLAMABAD: The Regional Reference Laboratory for Polio Eradication at the National Institute of Health on 11th February confirmed the detection of 74th wild poliovirus type 1 (WPV1) case of the year 2024 in the country. On Tuesday, the lab confirmed one polio case in Shikarpur district of Sindh. This is the second polio case from Shikarpur for 2024, an official of the lab said. Only last month, an official at the laboratory at the
KARACHI. Students studying at private schools often carry a sense of superiority thanks to the abysmal condition of the country’s public education sector. However, when the absence of a school bus service encourages thousands of such students to arrive and depart in their separate vehicles like busy statesmen, the city’s commuters will have no choice but to be prepared for incessant gridlocks. According to details gathered by The Express Tribune, there are 57 points
ISLAMABAD: Parents of over 700 children initially refused to vaccinate their kids against polio in the latest anti-polio campaign which lasted from Feb 3 to Feb 9 in the federal capital. However, the capital administration managed to convince the parents after the intervention of Deputy Commissioner Irfan Nawaz Memon. An official of the health ministry said those who refused inoculation also included educated parents, with some saying that their children should not be treated as “guinea