WORLD Children’s Day is upon us, yet countless children are denied even simple rights that should never be in question. This year’s call to “listen to children and stand up for their rights” feels painfully apt. Millions of children wake up each day to fear and uncertainty. In conflict zones, children endure bombardment, displacement, trauma and the loss of homes, families, and schools. They are not just witnesses to violence; they are being killed, maimed, and left with life-altering injuries, as seen so starkly in Gaza. In disaster-hit regions, childhoods are being reshaped by water scarcity, disease and hunger. According to the latest Joint Child Malnutrition Estimates, in 2024 an estimated 150.2m children under five were stunted, with a further 42.8m wasting. These are the young voices the world fails to hear.
Pakistan has its own failures to contend with. Despite being a signatory to the Convention on the Rights of the Child, the country remains far from child-friendly. Children here face poverty, hazardous labour, unsafe streets, and inadequate protections against violence and abuse. The justice system remains ill-equipped to handle crimes against children, while abduction, trafficking, and sexual violence surface with alarming regularity. Safe play spaces, quality healthcare, and psychosocial support are limited, especially for girls, street children, and those in rural or marginalised communities. Education, a fundamental right, remains one of Pakistan’s glaring failures. An estimated 26m children are out of school. Many drop out because families cannot afford fees, transport, or uniforms; others never enrol due to child labour, early marriage, or the absence of nearby schools. Those who attend often receive poor-quality instruction in overcrowded, under-resourced classrooms. If this country is to honour today’s theme “my day, my rights” it must acknowledge how short we have fallen. Pakistan’s children, its future, must form the centre of policy. Listening is only the first step; acting on what they tell us is the true test.
Published in Dawn, November 20th, 2025.
