Study on the Important Issues of Child Rights in Pakistan

Munir Moosa Sadruddin∗

Abstract
The study has helped to identify the important issues of
children in Pakistan, during 2004-2008. This research article
aims to inform practitioners and policy makers, in an effort to
move child rights and children's plight in especially difficult
circumstances to the forefront of the public conscience. The
value and importance of children has also been highlighted in
the study. The efficacy of the implementation of child rights by
Pakistani Government has also been revealed. The study
revealed that the issues of children were over shadowed in
Pakistan during the last few years. The Convention on the
Rights of Child did not serve as a guaranteed savior.
Education, security and social rights were not given proper
attention during the last five years due to which, much
effective results were not produced in improving child rights.
Although the needs of children and their rights, particularly
social and security rights were well understood, but were not
well addressed, both on social and political platform. The
study concluded that Pakistan was unsuccessful in addressing
the issues of Children in Pakistan to its best as the issues of
children were found in a vulnerable state.

Keywords: Child Rights, Child Labour, Pakistan

Introduction
“The child should be fully prepared to live an individual life in society…
in the spirit of peace, dignity, tolerance, freedom, equality and
solidarity.” (Extracted from the UN Convention on the Rights of the
Child) Right through history, child rights are overlooked and are not
implemented to its fullest. Children Rights Convention (CRC) Article 1
defines, “A child is any human being below the age of eighteen years,
unless under the law applicable to the child, majority is attained earlier.”1
Child Rights may be defined as “The rights, which are concerned both
with the protection of the individual child and with the creation of the
conditions in which all children can develop to their full potential.”2

∗
Munir Moosa Sadruddin, Ph.D Research Scholar, Institute of Education and
Social Sciences, Hamdard University, Karachi. Email: munirmoosa@yahoo.com
Study on the Important Issues of Child Rights in Pakistan Munir Moosa Sadruddin

According to the World Fact book 20083, the world population of

children under 14 is as under
0-14 years: 27.3%
Birth rate 20.18 births/1,000 population

According to United Nations (UN) University Vice-Rector, Ramesh

Thakur and United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund
(UNICEF) Japan Director Manzoor Ahmed, 2.2 billion of the world's
people are under 18 years old, with 2 billion from developing countries.4
According to Population Association of Pakistan, 65% of Pakistani
households contain one or more adolescents. 23% more have children
under the age of 10 who will be the next generation of adolescents. Out
of the population of 130.6 million, 29.6 million are adolescents (10-19
year old).5
The child rights movement is a historical and modern movement
committed to the acknowledgment, expansion, and/or regression of the
rights of child around the world. The Universal Declaration of Human
Rights is seen as a basis for all international legal standards for child
rights today. A number of historical and current documents affect child
rights, including the first most effective document, “Declaration of the
Rights of the Child,” drafted by Eglantyne Jebb in 1923, and adopted by
the League of Nations in 1924.6
The Convention on the Rights of the Child was the first legally
obligatory international instrument to incorporate the full range of human
rights- civil, cultural, economic, political and social rights. Unanimously
adopted by the General Assembly on 20th of November 1989, it has since
been ratified by all the world’s governments (except Somalia and USA).7
The Convention sets out rights in 54 articles and two Optional
Protocols. The Convention protects child rights by setting standards in
health care, education, security and legal, civil and social services.
The 54 articles detail the individual rights of any person under 18 years
of age to develop to his or her full potential, free from discrimination,
hunger and want, neglect, exploitation, or other abuses.8
On November 12, 1990, Pakistan ratified the convention. It
entered into force on December 12, 1990 in Pakistan. Since then, child
rights are being recognized and promoted on different stages by
Government of Pakistan.
Pakistan tried to implement the provisions, and took many
administrative, judicial and legislative measures to prioritize sensitive
areas of concern which cause impediment in children's development.
In Pakistan, the government prepared a National Plan of Action (NPA)
for Child Protection to meet the country’s commitments to a range of

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issues including child sexual abuse, exploitation, child pornography and

prostitution, health, shelter, poverty, child labor, education and child
mortality. A child protection bill was also drafted in 2006 to provide an
institutional framework geared specifically towards prevention and
protection of children from abuse, and for the rehabilitation of abused
children. This bill too is pending approval.9
According to the recent reports, child abuse is not only a widely
practiced phenomenon in Pakistan despite its Islamic antecedents but
also on the rise, However, rarely is the problem addressed since the topic
is socially and culturally a taboo, and there is an incorrect impression
that the problem doest not exist.10
The problems in the sphere of juvenile justice in Pakistan are
manifold and often complex; and all are important from a child rights
standpoint. The Juvenile Justice System Ordinance was enacted in 2000
and deals with children who come into conflict with the law. 11
Child labour has many faces in Pakistan. It is estimated that there are
over 10 million child labourers in Pakistan.12
Child education in Pakistan is in a dismal state. Inadequacies of
education system in terms of weak infrastructure, poor quality teaching,
lack of qualified teachers, teacher absenteeism, corporal punishment and
emotional, verbal abuse, strict conditions and lack of learning materials
pushes children out of school.13
Corporal Punishment is prohibited in the government schools of
Sindh since 2004. Despite all these measures, physical violence,
government, and private schools are widely prevalent and institutions
have failed to bring about a major change in banning the practice.14
This bleak situation is mainly due to a lack of vision and the lopsided
policies and priorities of the people at the helms of affairs.15
Every child has a right to live his/her life free from violence,
including corporal/physical punishment and humiliating and degrading
punishment. The understanding, acceptance and implementation of child
rights can gradually eliminate violence against children in all forms and
from the entire institutions.16
Healthcare for a majority of children suffers from basic
deficiencies. That is forgivable and not surprisingly accounts for the poor
health indicators for Pakistan's children, which is inevitably reflected in
the national statistics on health and economic productivity. With the
infant mortality rate at 84 per 1000 live births, under- five mortality rate
a shocking 125 per 1000 and 38 percent of children under five being
under-weight, one can only hold the state accountable for its failure to
fulfill its basic duty of providing healthcare to its citizens, especially the
younger ones.17

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Researchers believe that the education, social and the protection rights
are the foremost important issues, which needs a serious consideration.
Education can contribute a lot to empower and enlighten children's lives
and in breaking the barriers of poverty, discrimination, and provides
opportunities to its younger generation to strive for better times ahead.
Children need secure and healthy environment. Their voices must be
heard and trusted and every possible step must be taken to provide them
safety. They must be taught their basic rights right from the day, they
start understanding things, so that their joint coalition to work can
fruitfully bring joys in many lives.

Purpose of the Study

The study analyzed the efficacy of implementation of child rights with
the help of NGO’s, public and private schools and Government
institutions. Different respondents from private and public schools,
Government institutions and NGO’s were involved to evaluate the state
of child rights and to assess whether the institutions were successful in
implementing rights of child in the recent years or not. This study also
developed the steps/ suggestions to implement child rights in current
settings.

Condition of Children in the World

Human right is very important in today’s world but it has forgotten its
responsibility towards the issue of Children. The legacy of child
persecution is that it manifests a depreciation of and contempt for what is
best in humankind. The failure of the international community to
vigilantly address atrocities against children results in the perpetuation of
those atrocities and creates adults who learn to solve problems through
war and violence. Many professionals are unfamiliar with the Children's
Convention, which protects the human rights of children. It stands to
reason that the general public is not familiar with the Children's
Convention either.18
The condition of children around the world is dubious. Children
are being subjected to horrific violence and their living conditions are
always a slur for their government system.
Population growth and rapid rates of industrialization are putting
increasing pressures on childhood and family life. The most conspicuous
symptom of social stress and family breakdown was the increasing
number of children working on city streets with some also living there.
Many other children were being damaged by forces that went beyond
poverty and underdevelopment. They included child victims of mass
violence and warfare, children with disabilities and children suffering

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from exploitation – as workers and laborers, or as objects of commercial

sexual abuse.19
According to UNICEF (2005) report, Children are the hardest hit
by poverty. More than half a billion children (40 percent of all) in
developing countries are living on less than $1 a day. According to the
study, there are 115 million primary-school-aged children not enrolled in
school. Another 150 million children start primary school but drop out
before they have completed four years of education. Nearly half of the
children in the least developed countries of the world do not have access
to primary education. Of the 115 million primary school-aged children
out of school, the majority are in Sub-Saharan Africa and South Asia (76
percent). More than 42 million children in South Asia are out of school.
For every 100 boys out of school, 117 girls miss out on primary
education.20
According to the same report, although life expectancy has
increased, 10 million children die every year before their fifth birthday,
largely from preventable causes, and malnutrition is a contributing factor
in more than half of these. More than 50 percent of the 10 million
children die at home due to poor access to health care. Acute respiratory
infections are the biggest single killer (2 million every year), followed by
diarrhoeal diseases, malaria, measles, tuberculosis and neonatal tetanus.21
Child labor persists in developing countries. More than 250
million children between the ages of 5-14 work. Most working children
in rural areas were found in agriculture; urban children worked in trade
and services, with fewer in manufacturing, construction and domestic
service. Great efforts have been made to reduce this problem, with some
positive results.22

Condition of Children in Pakistan

Pakistan ratified the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in
November 1990. In this regard the National Commission for Child
Welfare and Development (NCCWD) undertook various activities in
collaboration with Provincial commissions for Child Welfare and
Development (PCCWDs) and NGOs.
Pakistan offers worse conditions for children than any other
country in South Asia, partially because the government has failed to
implement legislation and international conventions which would
improve conditions for children, according to a study by several child
rights organizations. Poverty, bad drinking water, physical and sexual
abuse and child trafficking are among the areas where society and the
government have failed to establish good conditions for children,
according to the study. Statistics substantiate the study's claims. Nearly 8

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million children, or 40 percent of the total population of children under

the age of 5, suffer from malnutrition. About 63 percent of children
between 6 months and 3 years have stunted growth and 42 percent are
anemic or underweight. Poor nutrition leaves these children vulnerable to
diseases. Poor conditions extend to the education sector. About 23
million children in Pakistan have never been to school.
According to the United Nations Children's Fund, about three
million children under the age of 14 and 18 percent of children between
the ages of 10 and 15 are working. Pakistan's Federal Bureau of Statistics
places the approximate figure of child laborers at 3.5 million. Trafficking
in children is another form of commercial abuse. The Lawyers for
Human Rights and Legal Aid estimates that at least 360 children were
smuggled to Arab countries in 2003 for use as camel jockeys. According
to some reports, the children were deprived of food and water to keep
their weight down prior to the race and some children were beaten for
refusing to mount a camel. The Prevention and Control of Human
Trafficking Ordinance 2002 has very little impact and not a single
conviction has occurred under this ordinance so far, the study reports. To
change the prevailing conditions, the study recommends the
implementation of existing legislation and international conventions and
more specific laws to check the smuggling of children. Rights bodies
have also called for legislation to prevent the sale of children by
impoverished parents and punishments for runaways.23
According to the Report of Human Right Commission Pakistan
2005, many laws intended to protect children went largely
unimplemented. Growing awareness about the rights of children and the
introduction of some protective measures by government pointed
towards a slight improvement in the situation. During the first six months
of 2005, 71 children were murdered after sexual abuse. ..The physical
abuse of children remained widespread, while due to the conditions in
which they lived, many children across the country suffered malnutrition,
illness and death.24
UNICEF’s annual report on the State of the World’s Children for
2005, launched in Dec 2004, put Pakistan at 46th among 157 countries in
terms of basic indicators for child welfare. The findings showed 19
percent of children born in the country between 1998 and 2003 were of
low birth weight.
Child labour and corporal punishment were believed to be the
major cause of the Sindh school drop-out rate of over 50 percent, while
similar reasons were also responsible for children leaving school in other
provinces. Access to clean drinking water, adequate food, healthcare and
education was denied to most children in the country.25

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In the following year, the report of HRCP 2006 states, children orphaned
or separated from their parents in the October 8, 2005 quake remained at
risk even a year after the disaster. Children continued to be made victims
of violent crimes. Although Pakistan ratified ILO Convention 182 on the
Worst Forms of Child Labour in 2001, children continued to be
employed in dangerous occupations, including mining. There was an
increase in incidents of gang-rape, including cases involving minor
girls.26
Health statistics, particularly for women and children, were
amongst the worst in the world.27 Literacy rate in 2005 stood at 53
percent while infant mortality rate were noted to be highest among South
Asian countries. There were approximately 1.7 million bonded
laborers.28 Pakistan spent around two percent of its GDP on education,
the lowest figure among South Asian countries.29
According to Annual report 2007 of HRCP, child healthcare
continued to be poor and inadequate resulting in the spread of disease
and high mortality rates. Pakistan's under-5 mortality rate was recorded
at 99 out of every 1,000 live births - higher than that of Bangladesh. 38%
of children in Pakistan were reported to be moderately or severely
malnourished. Children, especially minor girls, continued to be the
victims of widespread sexual and physical abuse. At least 258 cases of
rape and gang-rape and 138 deaths by killing were reported… Child
labour and trafficking remained rampant across the country. Increasing
numbers of street children were also reported to have become drug
addicts with almost 83% of street children between the ages of 8 and 19
reportedly sniffing glue.30
Child labor was also widespread with reports stating that more
than 3.6million children under the age of 14 were working under
hazardous and exploitative conditions. Labor laws were largely
ignored…Pakistan was placed at 144th in the world literacy ranking. The
education sector was plagued by corruption, misuse of funds & resources
and inconsistencies in the implementation of education reforms.31 It was
reported that around 550,000 children in Pakistan die before reaching the
age of five every year.32
In 2008 in Pakistan 6,780 cases of violence committed on minors
took place: sexual abuse, targeted murders, abductions, forced labor and
suicides are only some example of this, to which the exploitation of
“child soldiers” in the war between Islamic fundamentalism and the army
must be added. The 2008 report on the “Condition of Children in
Pakistan” –released by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the
Child (SPARC) – underlines the governments failure to apply national
and international law in protection of the rights of minors. The document

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reports that almost 30% of children under the age of five are
malnourished. It claims that 30-40 percent of children of school going
age across the country, are not attending schools.
The SPARC report says the government, despite its claims, has not favor
polices to protect minors. Pakistan is still far from reaching the
Millennium Development Goals (MDG): among which is the guarantee
of education for all by 2015.33

Major Issues of Children in the World

Education Rights
Since 2000, governments throughout the developing world have been
striving to various degrees to meet the Millennium Development Goals.
The Pakistani government has reaffirmed its intention to work towards
the goal and put policies in place to improve education in Pakistan. Yet,
statistics show that there certainly is a lot of work to be done. Over 16
million children attend primary school in Pakistan but millions more do
not spend their days in the classroom.34

According to the Information from SPARC,35 the net primary enrolment

rate in Pakistan from 2001-2005 is given below:
Net Primary Enrolment Rate In Pakistan
2001-02 PIHS 2004-05 PSLM
Male Female Male Female
Punjab 47 43 60 55
Sindh 46 34 53 42
NWFP 48 33 53 40
Balochistan 39 24 44 29
Source: State of Pakistan Children, 2005

According to the Information from UNESCO Institute for Statistics,36 the

primary school enrolment in South Asia is given below:

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Comparative Table on Primary School Enrolment

86%
90 80%

80
68%
70

60 50%

50

40

30

20

10

0
Pakistan Boys South Asia Boys Pakistan Girls South Asia Girls

Source: Information from UNESCO Institute for Statistics 2005

Pakistan is at serious risk of not attaining the goal of adult literacy by

2015, warns Education for All Global Monitoring Report 2007.
Pakistan was graded last in the Asian Pacific Countries’ School Report
Card published in 2005 by the South Asian Pacific Bureau of Adult
Education. The dismal result comes as no surprise, considering the low
investment of less than 2.3% of the GDP made by the government on
public sector education. According to the World Bank it is much lower
than the South Asian average of 3.6% and the low –income countries’
average of 3.4%.37
According to HRCP report, in 2007, Pakistan was placed at 144th in the
world literacy ranking.38

Indicator of Education from 1980- 2007

Source: Ministry of Education, 200839

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The preceding graph shows that the government has not earmarked a
substantial amount for the education in the last almost ten years and both
National Economic Survey and National Education Census fail to give
budget allocations in the sub-sectors within the education ministry and
specify the priority areas for expenditure.40
According to the report of Human Rights Commission of
Pakistan 2008, at 120th spot, Pakistan remained at the bottom in the EFA
Development Index ranking with the lowest allocations to education as a
percentage of the GNP in terms of public expenditure.41

Physical/Mental and Sexual Abuse

Children in Pakistan are subjected to physical, mental and sexual abuse.
There have been positive steps forward in 2005 with increasing
recognition of the harmful effects of corporal punishment and sexual
abuse on children. The federal government has taken steps to train
police, pass legislation on child protection. However, there is still
widespread denial of infanticide, underreporting of child sexual abuse,
acceptance of child marriage and complicity to child prostitution.42
The table given below shows the legislation, relevant to child prostitution
and sexual abuse.43

National and Provincial Legislation

The Pakistan Panel Code, 1860
The Female Infanticide Prevetion Act, 1870
The Reformatory Schools Act, 1897
The Offence of Zina (Enforcement of Hadood) Ordinance, 1979)
The Punjab Children Ordinance, 1983
Employment of Children Act, 1991
Abolition of the Punishment of Whipping Act, 1996

In Pakistan, there are no laws that deal specifically with the abuse of
children or sexual abuse not involving penetration. There are only
provisions regarding rape and sodomy thus penetration is necessary for
the sexual abuse to be a punishable offence. The Pakistan Penal Code
provisions used to prosecute sexual abusers directly are rape and
sodomy. Murder and kidnapping cases are also used to punish offenders.
Section 376 on rape of women prescribes a punishment. Section 377
covers sodomy and gives a punishment of 2-10 years. Section 254 covers
sexual harassment but the maximum punishment is two years
imprisonment. Even though the Pakistan Penal Code could be used to
prosecute cases, the authorities use the Hudood Ordinances. The
punishment is only given if the accuser confesses or if there are four

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pious male Muslims eyewitnesses.44

According to the Study of an NGO45, Rozan, the types of abuse prevails

in Pakistan are:
Types Of Abuse Provided By Aangan Division Of Rozan Source:
Aangan, Rozan, 2005
Victims
Rozan Study- Types of Abuse Total
Male (%) Female (%)
Touching 31.5 52.1 41.8
Kissing 34.2 23.3 28.8
Fondling 20.5 20.5 20.5
Looking for private parts of 0 2,7 1.4
child
Abuser showing his/her 6.8 12.3 9.6
private parts
Touching private parts of the 12.3 6.8 9.6
child
Abuser asking child to touch 9.6 11 10.3
private parts
Pornography 4.1 2.7 3.4
Rape/ intercourse 1.4 31.5 16.4
Sodomy/ anal sex 41.1 2.7 21.9
Verbal sexual abuse 1.4 4.1 2.7

Corporal Punishment
Article 19 of the Convention on the Rights of the Child clearly
enunciates that a child must be “protected from all forms of physical and
mental violence while in the care of parents and others.” Article 37 is
also pertinent in this respect. “No child shall be subjected to torture or
other cruel, inhuman or degrading treatment or punishment”
Section 89 of the PPC (Pakistan Panel Code 1860) (No XLV)
empowers parents, teachers and other guardians to use corporal
punishment as a means to discipline and correct the behavior of under-12
children. It is also a fact that corporal punishment is practiced within the
family, resulting in serious injuries. Also, whipping is used a sentence for
Hadood Crimes despite the 1996 Abolition of Whipping Act.46
In Pakistan, as far as prohibition of corporal punishment in
homes is concerned, it is recognized in the National Child Protection
Policy that children will be protected from corporal punishment.47
According to the survey, conducted by Society for the Protection
of the Rights of Child48, the ratio of the inflicters of corporal punishment

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is given below:
Ratio of the Inflictors of Corporal Punishment

Teacher
Principal
Monitor
Watchman
Senior Students
School maid
Others

Source: SOPC 2005. Islamabad

Plan International, launched a campaign Learn without Fear in Dakar on

October 7, 2008. The campaign focuses on 66 countries that include
Pakistan and aims to create a global momentum for change that will
immprove the lives of millions of children.49
Thus, the saga of corporal punishment is deeply rooted in Pakistani
context. There is a dire need to regulate policies at all level at the earliest.

Child Labor
Child labor is deeply rooted in the Pakistani society and the children
involved in this painful reality have started accepting it as their fate.
Economic exploitation of children or child labor is one of the worst
forms of child abuse and neglect in Pakistan. Children are found working
in almost every economic sector in the country. Many of them are
traditionally and economically bonded and also working in hazardous
occupations.50
According to the Economic Survey 2005-2006, percentage of
people living below the poverty line has declined from 34.46 percent in
2001 to 23.9 percent in 2004-2005.51

According to the Federal Ministry of Labor52, status of the

Implementation of the Employment of Children Act, 1991 in 2005, is
given below:
Implementation of the Employment of Children Act, 1991
(Province-wise/ Year-wise)
Year Province Number of Number of Number of Penalty
Inspections Prosecutions Convictions imposed

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Punjab 18698 163 39 4250

Sindh Nil Nil Nil Nil
2005 NWFP 774 7 6 1700
Balochistan NA NA NA NA
Total 19472 170 45 5950
Source: Federal Ministry of Labor, 2004

ILO estimates that across the Asia and Pacific region there are currently
127 million children between the ages 5-14 years who are economically
active.53
In 2007, Human Rights Commission Pakistan wrote in their
report, despite ten years of attention to the problem, child labour remains
endemic. Studies indicated that children who work are much less likely
to complete primary education, are likely to have lower incomes later in
life, and are prone to serious health problems caused by workplace
hazards. The last survey was taken in 1996. The 1996 survey had
reported that there were 3.3 million child laborers in Pakistan, but most
observers stated that the number had increased significantly.54
According to the Report of HRCP, published in 2008, the
government kept claiming that a comprehensive survey on the extent of
child labor in Pakistan would be conducted soon but no headway was
made in this regard during 2008. Lack of proper statistics meant the
problem could not be addressed properly and the severity of the issue
remained diluted at best.55

Health Issues
According to the report of UNICEF in 200556, the mortalities rate of
children in Pakistan is given below:

Mortalities Rate Of Children In Pakistan, 2005

Demographics
Total under-five population 20,922,000
Under-five mortality rank 47
Under-one mortality rate 80
Neonatal mortality rate 49
Source: Tracking Progress in Child Survival The 2005 Report, UNICEF.
2005.

UNICEF reported that, Pakistan has the 47th highest rate of under-5
mortality in the world, out of 193 countries listed. Pakistan’s under-5
mortality rate is 99 out of every 1,000 live births, compared to 74 in
India and Nepal & 73 in Bangladesh.57

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Human Right Commission in their report wrote that Child healthcare

continued to be poor and inadequate resulting in the spread of disease
and high mortality rates 38% of children in Pakistan were reported to be
moderately or severely malnourished.58
According to HRCP report 2007, health expenditure as a
percentage of GDP was 0.57% according to the economic survey of
Pakistan 2006-07. Although the health sector budget allocation showed a
25% increase as compared to previous year, it still remained the lowest
budgets allocated to health in the world.59
According to the Annual Report 2007 of Pakistan Medical
Association,60 a glance of health is given below:

Health Indicators
Population < 160 million
Under five Mortality 103/ 1,000
Infant Mortality Rate 80/ 1,000
Immunization at 12 months of age against TB 78%
Immunization at six months of age against six (preventable diseases)
53%
Maternal Mortality Rate 340-500/ 1,00,000
GDP on Health
Government Sector 0.6 percent Private Sector 1.7 Sector
Source: Annual Health Report 2007, Pakistan Medical Association, PMA

According to CIA World Fact book, 2008 61, the infant mortality rate of
Pakistan is:
Infant Mortality Rate of Pakistan
78
76.53
76

74
72.44 72.44
72
70.45
70 68.84

68 66.94

66

64

62
(a) 2003 (b) 2004 (c) 2005 (d) 2006 (e) 2007 (f) 2008

Source: CIA World Fact book, 2008

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Analysis
The review of related literature also revealed that there were many issues
faced by children and very poor attention was given to solve their issues.
It was found that the condition of children in Pakistan was sensitive.
Children were being subjected to horrific violence and their rights were
mostly abused.
Throughout the history of Pakistan, children were mostly
subjected to ignorance. Violations to child rights were clearly observed
in Pakistan. Many issues of children were revealed which shed light on
the reality that there were more issues than its solution. The rate of issues
faced by children in Pakistan escalated during 2004-2008. From the issue
of health to education rights, most of the documents clearly disclosed
that child rights were not well implemented in Pakistan.
During the last five years, children’s education and health rights
in Pakistan were in dismal state. The poor health indicators and literacy
rate alarmed that the implementation of child rights were practically
missing. As far as security is concerned, children are vulnerable to sexual
and physical abuse. Child abuse and corporal punishment were widely
practiced phenomenon in the world, particularly in Pakistan.

Conclusion
Education, security rights and social rights were not given proper
attention during the last five years to its best, due to which much
effective results were not produced in improving child rights. The
research concluded that children are still in a state of dismal, here in
Pakistan. So far, our country has not addressed issues of children to its
best.

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Notes & References

1
“Convention on the Rights of the Child”, accessed January 10, 2009, United
Nations International Children's Emergency Fund website: www.unicef.org/crc
2
V. Yates, CRIN Newsletter, Number 18, (London: Children Rights
Information Network, (March 2005), 8.
3
“The World Fact Book”, Central Intelligence Agency Office of Public Affairs,
accessed March 5, 2009, https://www.cia.gov/library/publications/the-world
factbook/print/us.html
4
“World Population Awareness: Children”, World Overpopulation Awareness,
Retrieved May 10, 2009, http://www.overpopulation.org/children.html
5
“Statistics of Adolescent”, Population Association of Pakistan, accessed May
11, 2009, http://www.pap.org.pk/statistics/adolescent.htm
6
M. H. Joseph, The Children's Rights Movement: A History of Advocacy and
Protection, (Boston: Twayne Publishers, 1991) 39.
7
D.Searle, C.Barry & M. Jempson, The Media and Children Rights, 2nd ed.,
(UK: Media Wise, 2005)
8
S. Hafeez, & Q. Shujaat, Annual Report 2007. (Islamabad: Society for the
Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2008) 10.
9
S.M. Ali, “Development: Protecting Pakistan’s Children”, accessed May 23,
2009,
http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2008%5C12%5C09%5Cstory_
9-12-2008_pg3_3
10
A. Jillani, 10 Years Report. Heading Sexual Abuse (1st ed.), (Islamabad:
Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2003) 30
11
S. Hafeez, & Q. Shujaat, Annual Report 2007 op.cit., 22.
12
Ibid.
13
A. Jillani, F.Naz, T. Shehzad, & N. Jehan, The State of Pakistan’s Children
2006, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2007)
104.
14
A. Jillani, S. Malik, I.Raza, & A.Moeen, The State of Pakistan’s Children
2007, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2008)
14.
15
A. Jillani, F.Naz, T. Shehzad, & N. Jehan, The State of Pakistan’s Children
2006, op.cit., 19.
16
G. Zahid, Building Bridges Alternatives to Corporal Punishment in Schools:
Trainers' Toolkit, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights of the
Child, 2007) 13.
17
Z. Mustafa, “Tragic At Best”, Dawn News. (Karachi: Herald Publisher,
December 7, 2008) 1
18
Von Struensee, M.G. Vanessa, “Highlights of the United Nations Children's
Convention and International Response to Children's Human Rights”, Suffolk
Transnational Law Review, Vol. 18, p. 589, 1995. Available at SSRN:
http://ssrn.com/abstract=657363
19
M. Black, 1946–2006 Sixty Years for Children, (New York: UNICEF, 2006)
21

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20
Harry Anthony Patrinos, “Living Conditions of Children”, Policy Research
Working Paper Series 4251, (The World Bank, 2007) 1.
21
Ibid, 2
22
Ibid, 3
23
“Pakistani Children the Worst in South Asia”, Asia Child Rights-ACR Weekly
Newsletter Vol. 3, No. 16, 2004
24
K. Hyat, State of Human Rights in 2005, (Lahore: Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan, 2006) 9-11.
25
Ibid, 202.
26
K. Hyat, State of Human Rights in 2006, (Lahore: Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan, 2007) 20.
27
Ibid, 21
28
F. Gulrez, The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006, (Islamabad: SPARC Society
for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2007) 50.
29
K. Hyat, State of Human Rights in 2006, op.cit. 21.
30
K. Hyat, State of Human Rights in 2007, (Lahore: Human Rights Commission
of Pakistan, 2008) 6.
31
Ibid, 7
32
Ibid, 8
33
“Pakistan's Violence against Children”, Asia News, accessed November 19,
2009, from http://www.speroforum.com/a/19589/Pakistans-violence-against-
children
34
F. Gulrez, The State of Pakistan’s Children 2005 (Islamabad: Society for the
Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2006) 82.
35
“Net Primary Enrolment Rate in Pakistan”, derived from F. Gulrez, The State
of Pakistan’s Children 2005 (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights
of Children, 2006).
36
“Comparative Table on Primary School Enrolment”, derived from
Information from UNESCO, (Institute for Statistics, 2005).
37
F. Gulrez, “SPARC's Discourse”, Issue 27, (Islamabad: Society for the
Protection of the Rights of the Child, September, 2007) 43.
38
K. Hyat, State of Human Rights in 2006, op.cit.
39
“Indicator of Education from 1980- 2007”, derived from Ministry of
Education, (Government of Pakistan, 2008)
40
I. Raza, “The Trivialized Goal”, in F. Gulrez, The State of Pakistan’s Children
2008, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2009)
77.
41
N. Din, & S. Ansari, State of Human Rights in 2008, (Lahore: Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, 2009) 6-7.
42
F. Gulrez, The State of Pakistan’s Children 2005 op.cit.163.
43
“National and Provincial Legislation” derived from ESCAP, Child Sexual
Exploitation in Pakistan, (United Nations Economic and Social Commission for
Asia and the Pacific, 2001) 10.
44
. Working Group against Child Sexual Abuse and Exploitation, (Sweden: Save
the Children, 2005) 182.

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45
“Types of Abuse”, derived from Aangan, Rozan, in F. Gulrez, The State of
Pakistan’s Children 2005, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights
of the Child, 2006) 175.
46
T. Parvez, M.Mogwanja, Analysis of Enforcement Gaps in Child Related
Protection Laws 2006, (Islamabad: Federal Investigation Agency, Ministry of
Interior, 2006) 13.
47
“Global Initiative to end all Corporal Punishment of Children: Ending
Legalized Violence against Children”, Global Report 2007 13.
48
“Ratio of the Inflicters of Corporal Punishment”, derived from F. Gulrez, The
State of Pakistan’s Children 2005, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the
Rights of the Child, 2006) 170.
49
F. Saleem, “No Safe Place”, in F. Gulrez, The State of Pakistan’s Children
2008, (Islamabad: Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2009)
32.
50
F. Gulrez, The State of Pakistan’s Children 2006, (Islamabad: Society for the
Protection of the Rights of the Child, 2007) 49.
51
“Economic Survey 2005-2006”, Ministry of Finance, Government of
Pakistan, accessed November 20, 2009,
http://www.finance.gov.pk/survey/sur_chap_05-06/04-Poverty
52
“Implementation of the Employment of Children Act, 1991” derived from
Federal Ministry of Labor, (Government of Pakistan, 2004).
53
“Action against Child Labor: Progress and Future Priorities”, (Geneva: ILO,
2003)
54
N.Din, & S. Ansari, State of Human Rights in 2007, (Lahore: Human Rights
Commission of Pakistan, 2008) 164.
55
Ibid, 132.
56
“Mortalities Rate of Children in Pakistan”, derived from Tracking Progress in
Child Survival the 2005 Report, (UNICEF. 2005) 94.
57
The State of the World’s Children 2007, (New York: UNICEF, 2008).
58
K. Hyat, State of Human Rights in 2006, op.cit.6.
59
Ibid, 187.
60
“Health Indicators”, derived from Annual Health Report 2007, Pakistan
Medical Association.
61
“Infant Mortality Rate of Pakistan”, derived from CIA World Factbook
(December 18, 2008)

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