Pakistani children are vulnerable through many forms of physical, psychological and sexual violence and exploitation, including child trafficking and child labor that is a form of modern-day slavery.
Pakistan ratified the United Nations’ Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) on November 12, 1990 with the condition that its terms would be interpreted following the principles of Islamic laws and values. Even 34 years since the ratification of CRC, there is still no proper coordinated child protection case management and referral system, following the international standard.
The country has over 80 million children and is struggling to fulfill their needs and rights. About 21% of children live in urban areas and have access to fundamental needs/rights. Furthermore, about 24% of the entire Pakistani population live below the poverty line and this figure is increasing day by day, mainly in rural areas. In the country, the state of the global markets is exacerbating an economic reality that is already under severe strain.
So, the rest of the children who live in rural areas are usually lacking in different resources such as clean water, food, education and health services.
According to a recent census of the government of Pakistan, about 2.6 million children are not attending school, which is an alarming situation. The situation of girls’ education, where civil society associations claim that 1 out of 2 girls have no access to education, is even worse.
Moreover, about 3 million children in Pakistan are trapped in child labor, depriving them of their childhood, their right to health, education and playing/enjoyment. Most of the children work in small hotels, behind tea stalls and motor workshops.
Early child marriage is another concern in Pakistan.
About a quarter of women aged 20-49 were married before the age of 15 and 31% before eighteen. This is due to a lower level of childbirth registration, especially in rural and far-flung areas. Birth registration is a fundamental right of all children as legal proof of their existence and identity. It can help to prevent child labor and child marriage and can protect children from being treated as adults by the justice system. According to UNICEF, only 34% of children under five are registered at birth nationally.
Assaults and sexual abuse of children in the country has also reached an alarming point. Civil society claimed in 2021 that the number of sexual abuse and exploitation cases increased 30% from the previous year and there were 3,852 cases of child sexual abuse in 2021, including child marriage, in other words, over 10 assaults per day.
Children with disabilities are doubly vulnerable as they are usually tied to the home and have no access to education or recreation.
The government has announced that they want to make all public schools accessible but in the absence of an inclusive structure, acceptance in society and next to no mobility sources, they spend all their time at home.
Thus, the state of children’s rights in Pakistan has become worse and it demands the launch of comprehensive awareness campaigns at the grass roots level to prevent the situation worsening.
Although some forms and policies of social protection in Pakistan are child-sensitive, it is still insufficient for achieving full rights for children. The government should properly and effectively implement the existing laws and consider the viewpoint of children, youth and caretakers of children with disabilities when formulating policies and law making.
“There can be no peace if there is social injustice and suppression of human rights, because external and internal peace is inseparable. Peace is a positive internal and external condition in which people are free so that they can grow to their full potential.”
Author: Sabir Masih, Pakistan
The photo was taken in a village of Faisalabad