According to estimates, approximately 26.2 million children are out of school, including 13.4 million girls. Between 20% and 28% of school-age children are not enrolled at all, many forced to prioritise survival over education. Why do some children enjoy their right to education while others are denied it? Why are quality schools reserved for those who can afford them, while millions are left with inadequate alternatives? Why do we continue to tolerate a system
Child Rights in Focus
LAHORE: A bill has been introduced in the Punjab Assembly to amend the 153-year-old Christian Marriage Act, but it has drawn criticism from Christian religious leaders and legal experts, who argue that raising the marriage age alone is not enough and that wider reformscovering divorce, annulment, inheritance, child custody, and separationare also needed, along with proper consultation with the Church during the drafting process. The amendment bill was presented in the Punjab Assembly by
KARACHI: Additional District and Sessions Judge (Shahdadpur) Shahid Ali Memon has sentenced a man to death on charges of killing his own daughter in the name of so-called honour. The court found Ali Bux guilty and sentenced him to the death penalty, along with an additional 14-year imprisonment for possessing an illegal pistol used to kill his daughter, Uzma, in the name of “honour” at his house in 2022. It imposed a fine of
TOBA TEK SINGH: A minor boy died in a stray dog attack at Chak 331-GB, Noorpur, tehsil Pirmahal, on April 26. Farhan, the father of the deceased identified as Mudassar (5), was harvesting wheat in the fields near his house. His son, Mudassar, was asleep at a charpoy under a tree at some distance when a stray dog attacked him and injured him critically. He was shifted to the District Headquarters Hospital Toba where
PESHAWAR: A technical glitch has surfaced in switching over of the students of private and government schools to each other due to disparity in their academic calendar, according to sources. “There was no such issue prior to the implementation of semester system in government schools,” the principal of a government high school told Dawn. Last year, elementary and secondary education department replaced the British-era annual examination system in government schools up to grade 8 with
In March, the march of tiny-weeny feet taps the corridors of the schools. The seedling signs of the start of a new academic year. The happy hum of new admissions spreads colours and smiles all around. However, the first day of a child at the school disillusions some parents when they accompany her to the school. The disillusionment starts when they themselves carry the bag of their child to her class situated on the
RAWALPINDI: Police have registered a case following the alleged sexual assault of a 13-year-old girl within the jurisdiction of Chaklala Police Station after suspects reportedly forced entry into her home, recorded the act, and subsequently attempted to abduct her while threatening to circulate the footage. According to police, three nominated suspects, stated to be neighbours of the victim, along with three unidentified accomplices are being sought. As per the complaint lodged by the girl’s
Despite significant progress, Pakistan lags in achieving SDG target 4.1. UNICEF reports that Pakistan has the second-highest proportion of out-of-school children globally. Millions of children are denied access to basic education in Pakistan each year. An estimated 25.1 million Pakistani children are out of school (Pakistan Education Statistics, 2023-24). While large numbers never enroll in schools, the daunting threat is that many of those who are enrolled may drop out without completing primary/secondary school.
KARACHI: The body of a 12-year-old boy, who went missing after falling into a water pipeline two days ago, was recovered from the Saadi Town area on the morning of April 26, Rescue 1122 reported. According to a spokesperson for Rescue 1122, the victim, identified as Zahid, fell into the water line in Sachal Ghazi Goth on Friday. A rescue operation had been underway for two days before the body was finally located and
ISLAMABAD: Pakistan began World Immunisation Week 2026 commemorations with renewed commitment to protect every child through vaccination. Every year, the Federal Directorate of Immunisation (FDI), under the leadership of the Ministry of National Health Services, Regulations and Coordination, in collaboration with provincial/area EPIs and partners, observes immunisation week across Pakistan in the last week of April. The week highlights the significant role of vaccines in protecting lives from vaccine-preventable diseases. This year’s theme, “For
ISLAMABAD: Citizens can now access district-level birth and death records and file right to information requests online through a verified login, as the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) on April 24 unveiled a new digital platform in a major step towards modernising its website. The new portal, https://www.nadra.gov.pk, replaces a text-heavy site that users and digital rights groups had criticised as outdated and hard to navigate. Nadra, which holds biometric data for over
LAHORE: A woman, accused of killing her three children a day earlier, was handed over to police custody on a five-day physical remand on April 24. On Thursday, the police claimed that three children who were found murdered at their house near Lahore’s Shah Jamal Colony were killed by their mother over estrangement with her husband. The investigating officer presented the accused before Judicial Magistrate Irshad Hussain on Friday and sought a 14-day physical remand so