Every morning, millions of children walk into schools across Pakistan with hopes, dreams and a desire to learn. Yet, behind these school walls, many face risks that threaten not only their education but their safety, dignity, and emotional well-being. Safeguarding our children in educational institutions is no longer just a policy debate; it is a moral obligation that demands urgent national attention. Article 25-A guarantees a child’s right to education. But education without safety
Child Rights in Focus
WASHINGTON: Children who are given smartphones before the age of 12 are more likely to develop certain health problems, researchers report. According to a piece published by the journal Pediatrics, kids studied at age 12 were at a 1.3 times higher risk of depression, a 1.6 times higher risk of insufficient sleep and a 1.4 times higher risk of obesity, compared with children who didn’t yet have smartphones. Researchers at Children’s Hospital Philadelphia, the
• Pleas for FIR against mayor, KWSC, Gulshan town chairman and judicial inquiry land in courts • Parties, civil society demand mayor’s resignation • Celebrities blame failed civic management for tragedy KARACHI: The widespread outrage that the tragic death of a child, who drowned in an open manhole in Gulshan-i-Iqbal near Nipa, ignited has intensified, with political parties, civil society, and celebrities demanding answers, asking: “Who is responsible for this?” Three-year-old Ibrahim fell in an
The teenage son of Justice Mohammed Asif of the Islamabad High Court (IHC) was remanded into police custody on December 2 in a case where two young women lost their lives after being hit by a speeding sports utility vehicle (SUV). Judicial magistrate Shaista Khan Kundi issued the remand order on the police’s request. According to a First Information Report (FIR) registered at the Secretariat Police Station, the accident occurred late on Monday night
KARACHI: Chief Minister Syed Murad Ali Shah inaugurated the School of Visual and Performing Arts building at the Arts Council on December 1 evening during the World Culture Festival. He first unveiled the plaque of the school and then went up the building to have a look at the different classrooms where students are taught. He then climbed the stage which was set in the Jaun Elia lawn. Speaking on the occasion, he thanked
DERA ISMAIL KHAN: A woman allegedly murdered her two children in the suburban Darkhanawali locality here on December 1, the police said. They said the woman used a knife to slit throats of her infant son and toddler daughter. The deceased were identified as 40-day-old Suhail Khan, and two-year-old daughter Iqra Bibi. Prompt information provided by local residents led to the arrest of the woman. The children’s father, Sanaullah, got registered an FIR, stating
• Planning minister warns country could reach 370m by 2050, with annual addition of 4-4.5m people — equivalent to New Zealand’s population • Population Council chief highlights need for better population management, notes nearly half of 12.7m pregnancies are ‘unwanted or mistimed’ • After leading both countries until 1990, Pakistan’s per capita income is now lagging behind neighbours ISLAMABAD: Policymakers, experts, diplomats and lawmakers at the much-anticipated Pakistan Population Summit on December 1 expressed
RAWALPINDI: Punjab government has released Rs189.132 million for the repair of 98 educational institutions in the district. District Education Authority Chief Executive Officer Tariq Mehmood told Dawn that the provincial government has released the first installment of funds worth Rs189.132 million for construction and repair works including additional rooms, new toilets and boundary walls in 98 educational institutions of Rawalpindi district. He said the construction work will be carried out in 15 higher secondary
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan has become one of the fastest-growing human immunodeficiency virus (HIV) epidemics in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region with new infections rising by 200pc over the last 15 years – from 16,000 in 2010 to 48,000 in 2024. This information as shared with participants of a walk organised by the World Health Organisation (WHO) and UNAIDS on World AIDS Day. While HIV predominantly affected high-risk groups in the past, it is now spreading
A 16-year-old boy, driving a white SUV, struck and killed two young women riding a scooter on Secretariat Chowk opposite the metro station in Islamabad on the night of 1st December. According to the remand report, he struck the girls as he was recording a video for Snapchat. The two victims, Samreen, aged 25, and Tabbinda, 27, worked part-time with an events management group at the Pakistan National Council of the Arts. Their scooter
Following the arrest of hundreds of students, young motorcycle riders and other traffic violators — and a surge of bail seekers crowding Lahore’s courts — the Punjab government has moved to ease immediate enforcement pressures and launch a large public-awareness drive on the province’s new, stricter traffic rules. The shift comes as Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz also agreed, in principle, to issue smart cards to 16-year-olds and allow them to obtain motorcycle driving licences,
RAWALPINDI: Health authorities failed to vaccinate 42,681 children for measles and rubella in Rawalpindi district. However, the 13-day measles and rubella vaccination campaign concluded with 96 per cent of the target achieved. One case of an adverse reaction to the vaccine was reported; however, the child’s condition stabilised swiftly. Some private educational institutions created obstacles for teams attempting to administer the measles-rubella vaccine. According to the details, between November 17 and 29 November, the