Posted on August 10, 2025
The children’s state report in Pakistan 2024 was prepared and launched on April 30 of this year by the National Commission for the Rights of the Child (NCRC). Established by the Federal Government on February 28, 2020 as an independent legal body, the NCRC has the general mandate of the promotion, protection and fulfillment of the rights of the child as enshrined in the Constitution of Pakistan, the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) and other international obligations.
Pakistan has ratified several Key Human Rights Treaties of the UN that provide a broad framework for the protection of children’s rights. The NCRC report indicates that there have been persistent delays in the presentation of periodic reports on the UN treaties by the Pakistan government, including the practice of combining several defeated reports. While the Government traces progress in compliance with its treaty obligations through designated ministries and treatise implementation cells, delays weakens the effectiveness of these mechanisms and hinder the timely commitment to the organisms of the treaties and the implementation in the recommendations.
The final observations and recommendations of the treaty agencies provide a framework for Pakistan to address the gaps in politics, legislation and implementation, in relation to the rights of children and related problems. Aligning national and provincial laws and policies with international standards is crucial for Pakistan to comply with its international obligations and commitments, but most importantly, this legislative harmonization will also help improve the situation of rights for children in the country.
The report examines the rights of children in the four central pillars of the UNCRC: development, survival, protection and participation. Each section examines the situation in the field, emerging trends, legal frameworks, institutional responses and disparities. The report concludes each thematic area with specific recommendations for political leaders, civil society organizations and development partners for receptive and effective policies and programs focused on children in Pakistan.
Right to development
According to the report, the population of 47% of Pakistan is under 18, which includes 51.6% men and 48.3% women. Children outside the school (OOSC) are still a challenge, with more than 26 million children aged 5 to 16 currently outside the school. 77% of children in Pakistan are classified as “learning poor”, which means that they cannot read and understand the simple text at 10 years. In Pakistan, inclusion is especially critical for marginalized groups, including children from low -income families, children with disabilities, children from minority communities and transgender children, facing systemic barriers for participation and achievement in education. Educational opportunities must be extended for children from marginalized groups addressing specific barriers.
At the national level (rural), 11% of the government schools surveyed and 11% of private schools reported having had children with disabilities. Physical accessibility is still inadequate in schools, with only 23% of government schools and 55% of private schools equipped with ramps, while accessible baths are available in 51% of the government and 57% of private schools. Critical support services, such as auditory assistance devices and specialized personnel, remain scarce and available in only 21% of private schools and practically non -existent in government institutions. Disabilities related to vision and mobility are the most commonly observed; However, even these cases average less than a child per school, highlighting the gaps in identification and inclusion.
In 2024, the assignment for education has fallen to 1.7 percent of GDP, a 2.1% decrease in 2020. Unfortunately, it decreases to 0.60 percent in the current budget. It is lower than the global average of 4.3%. Both the federal and the provincial government must work collectively and increase the expense in education to at least 4% of GDP, aligning with global standards.
The report focuses on children’s law and recommends that all schools must introduce a game policy that requires 30-45 minutes of daily play in schools. Provincial governments must convert vacant urban lands available into safe children’s parks through associations of the Local Government Department of Education.
Right to survival
The report explores the multifaceted dimensions of children’s survival in Pakistan, addressing health, nutrition, water, sanitation, hygiene and interaction between climate change and child well -being. Despite the progress in immunization, high mortality rates between newborns and children under five years of age reflect critical gaps in maternal and child medical care.
The high population growth is a significant tension in limited resources and the economic stability of Pakistan and highlights the urgent need to prioritize investment in children. Without expanding public spending on education, health and child protection, the future has limited opportunities for children and Pakistan runs the risk of perpetuating the cycle of poverty and inequality.
Pakistan needs to adopt comprehensive policies and programs, focused on children and inclusive that are directed to health care, nutrition and climatic resistance, improve governance and address systemic inefficiencies to protect children and promote healthy lives.
Right to protection
Despite efforts on several levels, children in Pakistan are still vulnerable to various forms of violence, abuse, negligence and exploitation. Children exposed to violence may suffer acute damage long term to their physical, cognitive, social and emotional development. Civil registration and registration and vital statistics (CRV); child sexual abuse; Violence against children, including harmful practices such as children’s marriages, forced conversion and children’s marriages; economic exploitation of children; Children connected to the street; Child Traffic; Youth Justice; Internally displaced people; Refugee children and alternative attention are issues that are discussed in detail with improvement recommendations under the issue of the right to child protection.
According to the NCRC report, “forced conversions, especially the young girls of the Hindu and Christian communities, are a serious violation of their fundamental rights and freedoms. Kidnappings and subsequent forced conversions and marriages to older Weak and social apathy allow perpetrators to act with impunity, leaving traumatized and helpless families. ”
The National Women’s State Commission (NCSW) has constantly condemned the forced conversions of women and girls, and has requested the promulgation of laws that address forced conversions, recognizing them as a form of gender violence. The National Human Rights Commission (NCHR) has even recovered minor girls from the perpetrators in Sindh and Punjab considering that forced conversion is a violation of basic human rights. Therefore, the three NHRI in Pakistan realize the problem of forced conversions and the recommendations of the legislation and its implementation.
Right to participation
Child participation is one of the four guiding principles of UNCRC. This right is explicitly articulated in article 12 of the UNCRC that establishes that children have the right to express their views freely in all matters that affect them and that these points of view must be due to weight taking into account their age and cognitive skills. The report examines the right to child participation in Pakistan, identifying obstacles that hinder compliance and proposing ways to strengthen its implementation for a more inclusive and equitable society.
The participation of children is discussed in schools, in the family context, in legal and judicial processes, in policies and defense and in the media with legal framework and recommendations to improve it. Although it recommends that electronic and printed media must create dedicated programs and sections for children, promote voices of children on social issues and the government must support children in creating platform content such as YouTube and Tiktok through the mentoring offering and providing necessary resources, such as digital literacy training, content creation workshops, content creation means, safe creation means, child protection online and Educational and creative projects, reports also request a content content stands.
Address the knowledge gap
It was a strong sensation when reading this report that the availability of updated data is a critical problem in Pakistan. This report addresses the shortage of literature on the situation of the rights of the child and serves as a fundamental resource for political leaders, researchers, development partners and defenders. It is important to highlight that Pakistan’s next review by the UN Children’s Rights Committee is also given timely.
Nabila Feroz Bhatti is an activist and columnist of human rights. He is a work member of the National Commission for the Rights of the Child. She can connect to [email protected] or in x: @nabilafbhatti
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