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Over 4,150 cases of violence against children were reported in Punjab during the year’s first half, according to a report issued on Monday. The statistics were revealed in the Sustainable Social Development Organisation’s (SSDO) Factsheet on Violence Against Children (VAC) in Punjab, covering the period from January to June 2025. A press release issued by the organisation said that of the 4,150 cases, challans were presented in 3,989 cases, while 3,791 were under trial, with an average of 23 cases reported daily, based on district-level police data obtained through the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013. It added that Punjab’s reporting mechanisms had improved over the past year, resulting in increased registration of cases. However, the SSDO noted that conviction rates remained “critically low and require immediate attention”. It noted that “despite the volume and severity of offences, only 12 convictions were recorded during the six-month period”, making for a conviction rate below one pe...

Over 43.3 million children of up to five years of age have been vaccinated against polio in the first five days of an anti-polio campaign across the country, the National Emergency Operations Centre (NEOC) said on Saturday, according to state-run Radio Pakistan. Polio is a highly infectious and incurable disease that can cause lifelong paralysis. The only effective protection is through repeated doses of the oral polio vaccine for every child under five during each campaign, along with the timely completion of all essential immunisations. Pakistan is one of the last two countries in the world, alongside Afghanistan, where polio remains endemic. Yesterday’s data reported that more than 22.9m children have received the oral polio vaccine in Punjab, while approximately 10.2m children were immunised in Sindh. “In Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, more than 6.1m children have been vaccinated … in Balochistan, over 2.5m; in Islamabad, around 443,000; in Gilgit-Baltistan, nearly 294,000 and in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, over 733,000...

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ISLAMABAD, LAHORE - Over 150,000 people from flood-affected districts of Punjab have so far been relocated to safer places as the province braces for heavy rains and floods, the National Disaster Management Authority (NDMA) said on Tuesday.

ISLAMABAD: Over 270 students gathered in Islamabad, Lahore and Karachi this week in preparation to travel to the United States to begin bachelor’s, master’s and PhD programmes at US universities, a statement issued by organisers said. “EducationUSA at the United States Educational Foundation in Pakistan (USEFP) hosted these annual pre-departure orientations (PDOs) to prepare students for the educational and cultural journey ahead. Discussion topics included classroom and campus life, resources for international students, and adapting to new cultural experiences,” the statement read. Parents, school counsellors and alumni of US institutions also joined the discussions to help ensure the students’ successful transition. According to the Institute of International Education’s 2024 Open Doors report, nearly 11,000 Pakistanis were enrolled at US institutions last year—an all-time high for Pakistan and an 8.1 per cent increase over the previous year. “Pakistan is home to thousands of alumni of US colleges and unive...

KARACHI: Over 1.6 million children, between five and 17 years of age, in Sindh have been found to be trapped in child labour, revealed the Sindh Child Labour Survey 2022–2024. Conducted by the provincial labour department with technical support from Unicef and the Bureau of Statistics Sindh, the survey also revealed that over half (50.4pc) of child labour victims aged 10-17 worked in hazardous conditions, exposing them to excessive hours, extreme weather and unsafe tools. Labour Director General Muhammad Ali Shah, who is also the project director of the survey, told Dawn that the survey had been submitted to the provincial government. He said that the incidence of child labour has seen a significant decline, reduced by nearly 50pc compared to the 1996 baseline. According to Pakistan’s first and only National Child Labour Survey, conducted in 1996, the prevalence of child labour in Sindh was recorded at 20.6pc of the total child population at that time. The latest survey also revealed that school attendance am...