ISLAMABAD: A mounting childhood immunisation crisis is unfolding in Pakistan, which recorded the highest number of zero-dose children in the WHO Eastern Mediterranean Region in 2025. According to WHO and UNICEF estimates, 651,000 infants received no routine vaccinations, while another 465,000 failed to complete basic immunisation. The latest WHO/UNICEF Estimates of National Immunisation Coverage (WUENIC) place Pakistan at the top of the regional ranking for zero-dose children, ahead of Afghanistan with 503,000, Yemen with
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: A resolution has been submitted to the Punjab Assembly, seeking a nationwide ban on social media accounts for children under the age of 16 without parental consent, amid growing concerns over cyberbullying, online sexual abuse and digital addiction among the minors. The resolution, moved by Punjab lawmaker Sarah Ahmad, urges the provincial government to recommend to the federal government to introduce comprehensive legislation to regulate children’s access to social media platforms and strengthen
Islamabad: The Islamabad Police have arrested a habitual offender accused of sexually harassing children across Islamabad and Rawalpindi since 2019. The suspect, identified as Mansoor, was apprehended by the Ramna Police Station in G-11/4 following complaints from local residents regarding the harassment of young boys and girls. Upon his arrest, authorities also recovered an illegal firearm from his possession, leading to a separate case being registered against him under relevant arms laws. A special
BAHAWALPUR: Lodhran district police on July 13 booked six persons in two separate cases — one pertaining to alleged rape of a minor girl and the other of a rape attempt on a boy. In the first case, Lodhran police claimed to have arrested a suspect, Q, who allegedly raped a two-and-a-half-year-old girl at Mauza Wahi Salamat Rai. According to police sources, complainant ‘F’ alleged that his minor daughter ‘S’ was playing in the
Every generation faces a defining challenge. For our parents, it was nation-building. For ours, it may well be saving our children from the growing menace of drugs. Across Pakistan, a silent epidemic is unfolding. Narcotics have found their way into our schools, colleges and universities, threatening not only individual lives but the future productivity, stability and moral fabric of our nation. Every student lost to addiction represents a broken family, a shattered dream and
KARACHI: Despite having more than 53,000 public and private educational institutions, Sindh still has nearly 7.6 million children out of school, a senior education official said while describing the situation as one of the country’s most pressing educational challenges. The figures were shared by Dr Aftab Ahmed Sheikh, Director of the Sindh Education Policy Commission, School Education and Literacy Department, Government of Sindh, while addressing the First International Scholars Conference on “Digital Society and
CHAKWAL: The case of the death of nine-year-old Australian national Hania Ahmed took a new turn when her father, Adil Ahmed, submitted an application to the District Police Officer (DPO), Chakwal, alleging that the incident was misrepresented during the initial investigation and that the FIR was registered contrary to the facts. In the application, a copy of which is available with The Express Tribune, Adil Ahmed stated that the alleged robbers did not open
Sindh’s Directorate of Private Schools has launched an awareness campaign urging parents, teachers and communities to reject corporal punishment and adopt positive discipline, saying violence against children is abuse rather than a legitimate form of discipline. The campaign, launched by Additional Director of Private Schools Rafia Malla, aims to promote child protection and encourage safe, supportive learning environments. “Corporal punishment is not discipline; it is abuse,” Malla said, adding that physical punishment can leave
LAHORE: A man, who allegedly tortured his minor daughter in Ichhra area, has been arrested by the police here on July 12. The police took action after a social media video clip showed the suspect, later identified as Qurban, beating his minor daughter with a club and the girl crying in pain. As per police sources, 11-year-old girl ‘F’ was a house maid and her employer had accused her of stealing some valuables from
DERA GHAZI KHAN: A case has been registered at the Phagla Border Military Police (BMP) Station in the Koh-e-Sulaiman area against four people, including the father and stepmother of an 11-year-old girl, for forcing her into marriage with an 80-year-old man for Rs1.5 million. According to the police, the FIR was registered under Sections 4, 5, and 7 of the Child Marriage Act 2026 on the complaint of the girl’s mother, Khani Mai. Those
The Saudabad police have successfully recovered a kidnapped boy within hours after launching an intelligence-based operation, while authorities continue efforts to arrest the suspects involved in the abduction. According to police, unidentified suspects abducted 10-year-old Khizr, son of Danish, from outside his residence near RCD Ground within the limits of Saudabad Police Station on Thursday. The child was allegedly forced into a car before the kidnappers fled the area. Soon after receiving information about
LAHORE: The speeding cars that had killed a boy in Askari X on July 8 were driven by young men as opposed to earlier reports regarding gender identity of the rider. According to the FIR, a fatal accident took place on July 8 at 8am near Sector E of the Askari X and 10-year-old Subhan died on the spot while Abubakar and Ayan Babar were injured critically. As per the initial reports, the security