LAHORE:
After the devastation caused by heavy rains and catastrophic floods in 2022, many people gathered to provide humanitarian aid through food, clothing and medicine for affected families.
However, no amount of help could restore the future of innocent children whose lives overturned. Muhammad Arsalan, a 12 -year -old boy, was found working in a store in Gulberg. Originally from Rajanpur, Arsalan had been living with a relative in Lahore during the last three years. Before the floods, Arsalan was a class 4 student, but when the disaster hit 2022, his home and school were completely destroyed, forcing him and his family to flee to Lahore.
“When the reconstruction of houses in my hometown was completed, my parents and four brothers return, but they left me behind since I started working for RS200 per day,” Arsalan shared.
Like Arsalan, thousands of children throughout the country have been forced to face similar setbacks and challenges due to the impacts of climate change. The floods of 2022, in particular, decimated schools in Punjab, Sindh and Baluchistan, leaving thousands of children without access to education for months.
The UN figures also revealed that two million children did not return to the classrooms once the floods had decreased.
According to Nadeem Ashraf, a member of the National Human Rights Commission in Punjab, after the floods of 2022, many schools in the affected areas were completely destroyed or serious affected, because educational activities remained suspended for several months. “Almost 1.5 million children were displaced as a result of floods. The displaced children not only fought academically but also suffered several ailments, including skin diseases and gastrointestinal diseases.
The recovery process after migration is long and difficult and affected families, especially women and children, face uncertainty and insecurity, “said Ashraf. Iftikhar Mubarak, executive director of search for justice, highlighted the fact that children, who were the most vulnerable segment of society, suffered more than climatic crises.
“During the devastating floods of 2022, innumerable educational institutions were destroyed and early education was abruptly suspended. In the same way, recently, the closure of schools throughout the province due to the Smog crisis has once again interrupted education,” Mubarak said. Mubarak also said that the economic anguish caused by climate change instigated child labor. “When parents, especially those involved in agriculture or animal breeding, lose their livelihood, children are often forced to work as workers to support home financially. Therefore, uncertainty and interruption caused by climate change can create a feeling of insecurity and fear among children, affecting their emotional and social development,” he added.
On the other hand, Fatima Tahir, clinical psychologist, was the opinion that the climatic crisis disproportionately affected girls in Pakistan. “After disasters such as floods and droughts, girls are forced to assume additional domestic responsibilities, which hinders their education and development.
In addition, limited access to resources and support systems, health and displacement risks interrupt the education of girls, increasing their risk of exploitation and abuse. In addition, financial difficulties increase the probability of minors or forced marriages, which eliminates the right to education of the girl, “Tahir emphasized.
Climate marriages have emerged as an important challenge, with 45 minor girls married in a single village inside the Sindh during the rains of the monsoon last year. According to the data provided by the Inspector General of the General Sindh Police to the Interior Department of Sindh, 57 cases of child marriage were recorded in eight Sindh districts between 2018 and 2023.
