Experts of the Committee on the Rights of the Child Praise Pakistan’s Protections for the Best Interests of the Child, Ask about Violence against Children and the “Education Emergency”
The Committee on the Rights of the Child today concluded its consideration of the sixth and seventh combined periodic report of Pakistan under the Convention on the Rights of the Child and its initial report under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children. Committee Experts praised the State’s constitutional protections for the best interests of the child, and raised questions about efforts to address violence against children and the State’s “education emergency”, characterised by the high rate of children out of school.
Sophie Kiladze, Committee Chair and Taskforce Member for Pakistan, congratulated the State party on all its achievements for children at the legislative and implementation levels. She said it was outstanding that the State party had enshrined the best interests of the child in the Constitution.
However, Ms. Kiladze also said there were alarming numbers of cases of violence against children in Pakistan, including cases of sexual violence against boys and gender-based violence. How was the State party addressing the root causes of such violence and ensuring the investigation of cases?
Thuwayba Al Barwani, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator, said the State was facing a severe education crisis, with more than 25 million children aged five to 16, one-third of the school age population, reportedly out of school. Some 77 per cent of children were unable to read and comprehend simple texts by the age of 10. How was the Government ensuring that laws on education were enforced?
Introducing the report, Aqeel Malik, Minister of State for Law and Justice of Pakistan and head of the delegation, said fulfilling children’s needs and upholding their rights were Pakistan’s most urgent priorities. The Constitution of Pakistan emphasised the protected status of children in the family, their right to education, and freedom from child labour or exposure to hazards.
On violence against children, the delegation said Pakistan had a national strategic plan to combat the phenomenon, which focused on protection, prosecution and rehabilitation, and included actions against sexual and online abuse. State legislation imposed penalties that were proportionate with the gravity of these crimes. District-level mechanisms had been established to protect children from sexual violence, including through inspections and rescue operations.
Mr. Malik said that, responding to the growing phenomenon of out-of-school children and the related issue of lack of nutrition, the Prime Minister announced in September 2024 a nationwide education emergency.
The delegation added that the State had invested very large amounts in addressing the education emergency. A cash stipend for girls had encouraged the enrolment of 800,000 girls. The State party had been implementing large-scale teacher training programmes and was working to remove barriers to school enrolment related to documentation. Some 2,000 schools had been reconstructed both in Sindh and Punjab following the recent devastating floods.
In closing remarks, Ms. Al Barwani said Pakistan had shown its dedication to improving the well-being of the children of the country. The Committee was certain that the challenges facing Pakistan could be and would be addressed. It looked forward to seeing more child-friendly legislation and child-driven reforms.
In her concluding remarks, Ms. Kiladze said the review with the Committee was for the future of Pakistan. What the State invested today in its children, it would benefit from 20 or 30 years in the future. The State needed to do everything it could to ensure that every Pakistani child was protected, she said.
Mr. Malik, in concluding remarks, said the 100 million children in Pakistan, comprising nearly half of the population, were Pakistan’s most treasured possession. The State party realised that more needed to be done for its children. It would work to translate the Committee’s guidance into progress for the rights of children in Pakistan.
The delegation of Pakistan consisted of representatives from the National Commission on the Rights of the Child; Government of the Punjab; Ministry of Human Rights; and the Permanent Mission of Pakistan to the United Nations Office at Geneva.
The Committee will issue the concluding observations on the report of Pakistan at the end of its one hundredth session on 30 January. Those, and other documents relating to the Committee’s work, including reports submitted by States parties, will be available on the session’s webpage. Summaries of the public meetings of the Committee can be found here, while webcasts of the public meetings can be found here.
The Committee will next meet in public on Monday, 19 January at 3 p.m. to consider the combined sixth and seventh periodic report of Ethiopia (CRC/C/ETH/6-7).
Report
The Committee has before it the sixth and seventh combined periodic report of Pakistan under the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC/C/PAK/6-7) and the initial report under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography.
Presentation of Report
AQEEL MALIK, Minister of State for Law and Justice of Pakistan and head of the delegation, said the reports under review and Pakistan’s responses to the lists of issues adopted by the distinguished Committee were the result of a transparent process involving all stakeholders, including national institutions and civil society. The State’s approach to this review was guided by its commitment to the rights and duties enshrined in the Convention. Fulfilling children’s needs and upholding their rights were the State’s most urgent priorities. The Constitution of Pakistan enshrined ironclad guarantees for human rights and fundamental freedoms, including for children. It emphasised the protected status of children in the family, their right to education, and freedom from child labour or exposure to hazards; and empowered the State to undertake special measures for the extra protection that children needed.
Over the past decade, nearly 100 pieces of legislation had been enacted at both the federal and provincial levels to strengthen the legislative and institutional framework for the protection and promotion of human rights, nearly all of which had a bearing on child rights. In 2025, the Islamabad capital territory child marriage restraint act 2025 and the Balochistan child marriages restraint act 2025 prohibited marriage under the age of 18 for both boys and girls in the federal capital territory and the Balochistan province. Moreover, the domestic violence (prevention and protection) bill 2025 established a comprehensive system for the protection and rehabilitation of victims of domestic violence, including those affected by so-called “honour-based” crimes.
A range of policy interventions were shoring up protections for children’s rights, with an eye on major challenges. A significant highlight was the launch in November 2023 of the ZARRA mobile app, which was developed to enhance child protection by allowing users to report and track child abuse and neglect cases. In addition, the Legal Aid and Justice Authority, established under the legal aid and justice authority act 2020, provided free legal assistance to marginalised communities, including women, children, and persons with disabilities.
To secure the best interests of the child during early childhood development and address malnutrition and stunting, the Government had launched the Benazir Nashounuma [“nutrition”] programme, with an investment of 453 million United States dollars since 2020. The programme targeted households with children under two years old with interventions, including nutritious food, maternal and child health care, immunisation, and cash transfers. The State party would work to extend its reach to every child who needed it. Responding to the growing phenomenon of out-of-school children and the related issue of lack of nutrition, the Prime Minister in September 2024 announced a nationwide education emergency.
Pakistan’s human rights institutions were coming of age. Independent statutory bodies like the National Commission on the Rights of Child actively tackled matters related to the rights of child. It complemented the National Commission for Human Rights, an autonomous entity that examined human rights violations and upheld accountability, which received “A” status accreditation from the Global Alliance of National Human Rights Institutions, demonstrating its commitment to the Paris Principles.
In 2020, the Government updated the national action plan for human rights to make it more comprehensive and address gaps. Additionally, the Government launched the human rights awareness programme in 2020 to educate and sensitise the public and office bearers about international human rights commitments and the follow-up actions being taken. The Government launched the national mechanism for reporting and follow-up project to further enhance reporting mechanisms in accordance with United Nations guidelines and best practices. This project complemented the existing treaty implementation cells at the federal and provincial levels. The 2023 Census marked a major milestone in collecting detailed data, which had been further developed by ongoing efforts by Government, national institutions and civil society.
There were more than 110 million children in Pakistan - nearly the combined population of France and Italy. The State continued to face serious challenges, particularly in remote areas, to uphold all their rights. Terrorist groups, often operating from beyond national borders with support from the State’s detractors, carried out attacks on schools – including girls’ schools – and health care workers carrying out polio vaccinations. Hundreds of health care workers and accompanying police officers had been martyred in the line of duty while advancing the fight against polio. Global uncertainty, regional instability, humanitarian emergency and declining aid flows were major challenges, the manifestations of which the State confronted daily without flinching.
Children were most vulnerable to the complex global situation and conflicts. Recent developments involving Pakistan and a neighbouring country in May 2025 had forced the postponement of this review. The spectre of war loomed over Pakistani children, threatening their rights to food and water. A life of subjugation, hunger and deprivation was unthinkable. The State could never permit the future of its children to be held hostage. It was committed to ensuring that their vitality found space for growth and expression. Pakistan would therefore continue to exercise all options to protect the lives and well-being of its citizens, especially its children.
Questions by Committee Experts
THUWAYBA AL BARWANI, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator for Pakistan, said that the Committee was encouraged by the progress made by the State thus far in incorporating the Convention into the national framework. It also acknowledged the challenges the country was facing. The Committee was confident that the Government would continue to find suitable solutions for these challenges.
The legal framework on the rights of persons with disabilities had been strengthened in some provinces; however, huge disparities in service provision for children with disabilities continued to exist. What measures were in place to guarantee the rights of children with disabilities under the law and what technical and financial resources were allocated to establish appropriate facilities for children with disabilities? What resources were allocated to awareness raising campaigns on disability rights and how were civil society organizations involved in these? Schools often lacked necessary resources and trained teachers to accommodate children with disabilities. Were there plans to allocate more resources and train more teachers to address this? What progress had been made in the collection and unification of data on children with disabilities?
Only a small percentage of children with disabilities in Pakistan were able to attend school. Punjab province had a scheme that encouraged children with disabilities to attend school; were there similar schemes in other provinces? What financial and other support was provided to families with children with disabilities? How was the State party promoting the deinstitutionalisation of children with disabilities? Which institutions managed intervention in cases of violence against children with disabilities?
PHILIP D. JAFFE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked about efforts to harmonise federal, provincial and territorial laws with the Convention, particularly efforts to raise the minimum age of marriage to 18 in all territories and to repeal legal defences that allowed for corporal punishment. What was being done to adopt a child rights strategy that was aligned with the Convention? What steps had been taken to prevent duplication between the different bodies working on the human rights of children and to ensure coherent follow-up to the Committee’s recommendations? How did the State party plan to progressively increase and protect child-related budgets? How was it tracking expenditures on children by region? Would the State party establish a national, disaggregated child rights information system? What steps had been taken to establish routine reporting of children’s health data? What measures were in place to implement the national juvenile justice system act of 2018 and guarantee safe and child-friendly procedures for all children in conflict with the law?
The National Commission on the Rights of Child reportedly lacked legal, administrative and financial independence. How would the State amend legislation on the Commission to fully comply with the Paris Principles? Mr. Jaffe congratulated the State on the institution having achieved “A” status. What measures were envisioned to support the important work being carried out by civil society organizations?
MARY BELOFF, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said that, due to family violence and poverty, many children required alternative care in Pakistan, as in most countries. However, Pakistan still highly relied on institutions that housed hundreds of children. Institutionalisation had long-lasting, harmful effects on these children. What forms of alternative care were available in Pakistan? Was there data on the costs and outcomes of institutional care compared with family and community care in each region? How did the State party promote the advantages of alternative care? Were there monitoring bodies overseeing institutions that hosted children? Reportedly, some institutionalised children were not allowed to have contact with their families of origin. How would the State party change this? How could institutionalised children claim their rights if they suffered abuse? Were there plans to adopt a national legislative framework in line with the Convention that ensured the best interests of the child and gave priority to alternative care? How did the State party determine that children should be separated from their families?
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, congratulated the State party on all its achievements for children at the legislative and implementation levels. Were there plans to adopt comprehensive anti-discrimination legislation that would provide the highest level of protection of children? It was outstanding that the State party had enshrined the best interests of the child in the Constitution. How was this constitutional guarantee implemented in practice? Had steps been taken to prevent killings of children by military forces? How were children protected during sectarian clashes?
The juvenile justice system act prohibited the death penalty for children and provided strong legal guarantees for children. How was it being implemented? There were reports of minors being executed and arbitrarily detained even after this law entered into force. Ossification tests continued to be used in legal settings, even though they had a margin of error of two years. How was the State party addressing these issues? What steps had been taken to combat “honour killings”? There were multiple reports of such killings of children. What steps had been taken to reduce the mortality rate of children under five? How would the State party promote the participation of children in matters affecting them?
It was welcome that the birth registration rate had increased and fee waivers for birth registration had been implemented in some provinces. Would the State party amend legislation to ensure that all persons were covered by the birth registration system and support children who would otherwise be stateless to access citizenship? There were reports that minority children were subject to discrimination, hate speech and violence. How was this being addressed? Were forced conversions explicitly criminalised? How was the State party addressing online discrimination of children and emerging issues such as artificial intelligence?
There were alarming numbers of cases of violence against children, including sexual violence against boys and gender-based violence. How was the State party addressing the root causes of such violence, ensuring investigation of cases of violence and bringing perpetrators to justice? How was it raising awareness of positive parenting and discouraging corporal punishment? What measures were in place to prevent customary child marriages and torture and ill-treatment of children, including by security officers? What was the status of the bill criminalising enforced disappearance?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State party had enacted various pieces of legislation related to children over the reporting period, including the national juvenile justice act of 2018. The State party was developing centralised rules for regulating juvenile justice under this act, which treated children differently to adults and emphasised rehabilitation and not punishment. Juvenile justice committees worked to rescue children from abuse and place them in safer care situations, based on the best interests of the child. Some 26 juvenile justice committees had already been established, and the rest were in progress. The juvenile justice act clearly prohibited the imposition of the death penalty on children and provided for legal aid for children at the State’s expense. Separate juvenile courts had been established and alternatives to detention, including counselling, probation and community service, had been established. Children could not be handcuffed, and their personal information could not be disclosed by the media. Recidivism rates had dropped as a result of the juvenile justice act. Accelerated learning programmes had been implemented to support child offenders to integrate into society and learn to read and write.
Courts used evidence such as birth and education certificates and medical tests to determine children’s age and the benefit of the doubt went to the child when there was a dispute.
Alternative care was prioritised over institutional care. However, if alternative care was not possible, institutional care needed to be provided. The State provided children in institutions with food, shelter, education, vocational training and jobs when they came of age. It had a zero-tolerance policy towards any form of child abuse in these institutions. There were regulatory bodies for all State-owned institutions. A standardised guardianship process had been developed. Monitoring of guardianship was conducted by child protection units or other parties assigned by courts on a periodic basis. There was no law in Pakistan that prevented children in foster care from meeting their original families.
There was a robust coordination mechanism to monitor the implementation of the Convention, led by the national human rights institution and involving federal and provincial institutions. There was also a national mechanism for reporting and follow-up, which helped the State to engage stakeholders on implementation.
The Ministry of Human Rights was preparing a national strategy on violence against children. Consultations had been carried out with various stakeholders, including representatives of children, in this regard. The Islamabad child protection policy of 2018 was being implemented, and similar policies were being developed in Punjab, Sindh and Balochistan. Budget allocations to children had not declined; there had been a 25 per cent increase since 2015 in budgets for health and education for children in Punjab, and similar increases in Sindh and other provinces. This was coupled with initiatives such as free textbooks and stipends for female students.
Several provinces had implemented laws on child protection. Amendments had been made in 2019 to the Penal Code to prohibit all forms of sexual abuse of children. The State party was working to pass laws that prohibited discrimination against Christians. It had passed a law in 2018 on the protection of transgender persons.
The three national commissions working on human rights had independent mandates but were working in ways that complemented each other. The National Commission on Human Rights acted on issues involving minorities, forced marriages, child marriages, and child labour. It conducted visits to prisons and was encouraging access to remedies for victims of human rights violations. The mandate of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child was to protect the rights of children, supporting their access to health, education and justice. It was aligned with the Paris Principles and had members from diverse backgrounds. It produced a report on the state of children last year.
Several provinces were developing child information management systems that were disaggregated based on age, sex, ethnicity, religion and socioeconomic background. A national portal for monitoring the implementation of children’s rights was also being developed in collaboration with the United Nations Children's Fund, and a database of human rights violations was being developed with the United Nations Development Programme.
Pakistan was committed to protecting every child from abuse and exploitation. Child protection institutes and units across Pakistan dealt with cases of child prostitution and pornography. Prevention campaigns against sexual violence had been launched across the State that targeted children, teachers and parents. An inter-faith religious committee was involved in policy making on violence against children. All related offences under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children had been criminalised under domestic law, notably through the criminal law amendment act 2016. District-level mechanisms had also been established to protect children from sexual violence, forced labour, domestic labour and trafficking, including through inspections and rescue operations. More than 35,000 children had been rescued in Punjab in the last five years, and more than 6,700 had been rescued in Sindh.
The State party had implemented several measures to prevent corporal punishment. The prohibition of punishment act 2021 completely banned corporal punishment at a federal level, and every province had laws that prohibited corporal punishment. The juvenile justice act of 2018 overrode section 89 of the Penal Code, which permitted for corporal punishment in certain cases. Teacher training programmes were in place to discourage corporal punishment.
There had recently been an alarming rise in cases of child sexual abuse. However, this was an indicator that people were now aware of platforms for reporting abuse. There were sectoral plans for ensuring that outcomes were achieved in the implementation of laws on sexual violence. Roadmaps for implementation had been developed in some provinces. There were one-stop protection centres for victims in each province that were preventing revictimisation of survivors. There had been an increase in the conviction rate for child sexual abuse cases from five to 17 per cent in the last five years.
The State had allocated some 105 million United States dollars in stipends for poor families. There had been a 4,000 per cent increase in the uptake of scholarships for children from religious minority backgrounds. The Government was working to mainstream education programmes so that children from religious minority backgrounds received the respect they deserved. Such children were not forced to undertake Islamic studies.
The Penal Code criminalised forced marriage, child marriage and honour killings. The number of honour killings had decreased by around 50 per cent across the State. The offence had been made non-compoundable, which led to an increase in convictions to around 15 per cent of cases.
The Government had taken concrete steps to tackle terrorism. Certain security measures had been designed and implemented based on the level of the threat posed. There had not been attacks on schools in urban areas for many years; as a result, boundary walls and surveillance equipment that had formerly been installed had been removed from these schools. In rural areas, serious security measures were installed in schools to protect children. The State was ensuring safety and security, particularly in border areas.
Birth registration had remained uneven for regions that were vulnerable to natural disasters and for low-income families. The State party sought to achieve the goal of universal birth registration. The National Database Registration Authority sought to ensure the harmonisation in birth registration regulations and systems across each province and municipality. As of 2024, over 65 million child registration certificates had been issued. The Authority’s offices operated on a 24/7 basis and mobile vans and units were being operated to promote registration in remote areas.
Questions by Committee Experts
PHILIP D. JAFFE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said that there were persistently high neonatal and under five mortality rates, despite recent improvements, with significant regional disparities. What steps had been taken to address this issue? The State party was facing challenges in immunising all children affected by flooding. How was it achieving this? What steps had been taken to promote breastfeeding and to implement and enforce international standards on the marketing of breast milk substitutes?
How did the State party resource the national strategy for addressing child and adolescent mental health and how was it integrating it into primary healthcare? How did the State guarantee access to age-appropriate and confidential sexual and reproductive health information and services? What was being done to fight discrimination against lesbian, gay, bisexual, transgender and intersex children? Did the State provide contraception and menstrual materials to children and adolescents?
Drugs and tobacco were reportedly regularly available to children and adolescents, with few child-friendly drug treatment services. What was the State party doing to adopt a health-based drug, tobacco and alcohol policy that prioritised harm reduction? There had been a significant HIV outbreak in Larkana. What measures were in place to prevent mother-to-child transmission of HIV? What legal and policy safeguards were in place to protect intersex children from medically unnecessary surgeries? There was reportedly a shortage of blood glucose strips and insulin for children with diabetes. How was the State party addressing this?
How were programmes to reduce poverty being implemented? How was the State party promoting access to safe drinking water and sanitation in rural areas? Pakistan had faced devastating flooding in recent years. How were children involved in developing disaster risk reduction schemes? Were they prioritised in early warning systems? How would the State encourage children’s participation in the development of nationally determined contributions and other policy processes at local, provincial and national levels?
THUWAYBA AL BARWANI, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator, said that the right to free, compulsory and universal education was enshrined in Pakistan’s laws; however, the State was reportedly facing a severe education crisis, with more than 25 million children aged five to 16, one-third of the school age population, reportedly out of school. Pakistan had one of the highest percentages of out-of-school children globally. How had this occurred and how was the Government ensuring that laws on education were enforced? Was there a comprehensive strategy to raise awareness on the right to education? How effective had measures to prevent girls from dropping out of school been? The national education emergency announced by the Prime Minister seemed to be a very positive step. What had it achieved?
How was the Government addressing the shortage of qualified teachers? Had there been any studies into the causes of the education crisis? Pakistan had spent less than two per cent of gross domestic product on education over the last five years, below the international norm of four to six per cent. Many schools reportedly had poor facilities and overcrowded classrooms. Some 77 per cent of children were “learning poor”; that is, they were unable to read and comprehend simple texts by the age of 10. How would the Government enhance the quality of education? What measures were in place to promote children’s access to leisure activities?
MARY BELOFF, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, said that she was pleased by the Pakistani delegation’s enthusiastic participation in the dialogue. What results had the State party achieved at regional levels to promote the rights of refugees and asylum seekers? Did the State plan to ratify the 1951 Refugee Convention and its 1967 Protocol and the 1954 and 1961 conventions on statelessness? Was it considering granting citizenship to Bengali and Rohingya children?
There was a prevalence of child labour in agriculture, inhibiting children’s rights to education and health. How was the State party addressing this? Were penalties handed out to perpetrators sufficient? Was there a national policy on children in street situations? How were such children registered and how did the State prevent the criminalisation and abuse of such children? Was there a repatriation plan for illegal foreign nationals?
There were several children on death row due to difficulties in determination of age. What mechanisms were in place to ensure appropriate age assessments? How was the State addressing the issue of children being charged with drug or terrorist offences in religious courts? Such children were issued long prison sentences that undermined the principles of rehabilitation. How was the State party ensuring that children were not held with adults in detention? What were the root causes of honour crimes and how were these being addressed? Could statistics on the implementation of alternatives to detention be provided? Many vulnerable children were held in pre-trial detention; could regulations in this regard be changed?
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked how the State party managed data collection on the sale of children, child prostitution and child pornography. What awareness raising was being carried out in this regard and how were resources allocated to combat these offences? How did it prevent impunity, protect the rights of child victims, and cooperate internationally to tackle these offences? How was the State combatting the sexual exploitation of children in the tourism sector?
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said the State party attached great importance to the advice provided to it by civil society organizations and promoted the role of civil society organizations in Pakistan.
The Constitution and State laws provided safeguards against arbitrary arrest and detention. All arrested persons needed to be presented before a magistrate within 24 hours. The National Human Rights Commission was mandated to investigate human rights violations related to unlawful detention.
Pakistan had a national strategic plan on violence against children that was led by the National Human Rights Commission, in collaboration with federal agencies and commissions. The strategy focused on protection, prosecution and rehabilitation, and included actions against child abuse, sexual and online abuse, exploitation, grooming and child labour. Legal amendments in 2016 criminalised the production, distribution and possession of child pornography; buying and selling minors for the purposes of prostitution; child labour; illegal adoption; child marriage; and the trade of organs. The Pakistan electronic crimes act also criminalised child pornography and cyber stalking of minors.
State legislation ensured equal protection for boys and girls and imposed penalties that were proportionate with the gravity of these crimes. There were various helplines run by the Government and civil society that children could use to report abuse and seek assistance. There were also awareness raising campaigns cultivating the digital competency of youth. The National Cybercrime Investigation Agency had been established; it would be a gamechanger in tackling online crime.
The trafficking in persons act and relevant provisions in the Penal Code were being implemented in the provinces to tackle trafficking of children. There was a national action plan on trafficking in persons for the period of 2021 to 2025 and initiatives for early detection and rehabilitation of trafficking victims. The State offered legal aid to victims and had established 95 specialised gender-based violence courts to investigate these crimes. The Government continued to raise awareness about the offences covered under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children and was focusing on breaking stigma around child abuse and encouraging victims to come forward.
The Constitution provided extraterritorial jurisdiction over Pakistani nationals, who were liable to be punished when they committed offences abroad. The extradition act regulated the extradition of offenders, including for offences under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children. The Government had signed extradition treaties with 35 countries and the act was also applicable for non-treaty countries.
Pakistan had made substantial progress in reducing the transmission of polio. Polio cases had declined from 74 in 2024 to 31 in 2025, with only one case reported since September 2025. Pakistan continued to operate a comprehensive surveillance and vaccination system to protect children from polio. The Government was working with local administrators to expand access to immunisation for children living in remote, underserved communities.
Children’s participation in policies and programmes in Pakistan had historically been limited, but concrete steps had recently been taken to strengthen their participation. Child protection and welfare bureaus and education departments increasingly involved children in consultative forums and awareness programmes. There needed to be a child member in the child protection committees in each school. The State party was establishing child participation frameworks within national and provincial policies, establishing child advisory groups linked to relevant ministries and departments and strengthening liaison with civil society related to children’s rights.
Pakistan had developed a robust sexual and reproductive health framework with a rights-based approach. The National Agenda 2030, the national action plan on human rights, and the national gender policy framework were key policy interventions in this regard. The Penal Code allowed for the termination of pregnancy to save the mother’s life when the organs of the foetus had not formed.
Pakistan saw children with disabilities as rights holders. The 2018 Sindh disability act was fully aligned with the Convention on the Rights of Persons with Disabilities; it promoted inclusive education and banned refusal of admission of children with disabilities in schools. There were different laws in different provinces, but each province was moving towards alignment with international standards. In Punjab, 14,000 children with disabilities had been brought onto vocational education tracks. Stipends for children with disabilities had recently been increased for children with disabilities in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. More than 1,300 teachers had been trained over the reporting period to implement inclusive education. The State party was working to collect data disaggregated by age on persons with disabilities. Over 2,400 children with disabilities enrolled in higher education in 2021. Persons with disabilities were supplemented by free transport, assistive devices and further vocational pathways.
Pakistan had recently been hit by two catastrophic floods. Some 30 million people had been affected; 27,000 schools had been submerged and destroyed. The education system did not collapse despite these disasters. The State had invested very large amounts in addressing the education emergency. The cash stipend for girls had encouraged the enrolment of 800,000 girls. There were intersecting factors causing the education crisis, including economic instability and fiscal tightening as well as the COVID-19 pandemic and climate shocks. The State party had been implementing large-scale teacher training programmes and was working to remove barriers to school enrolment related to documentation. Some 2,000 schools had been reconstructed both in Sindh and Punjab, and the State party was also working to construct and expand playgrounds for children.
Pakistan was one of the first countries in the region to enact a law promoting the breastfeeding of infants. Regulations ensured that all breastmilk substitutes needed to have disclaimers stating that breastmilk was best for children, that it protected babies from diarrhoea and other diseases, and that they met strict scientific standards.
No child could be subjected to capital punishment. Legal systems used birth and education certificates to determine the age of persons and referred cases to doctors to determine persons’ age when necessary. The death penalty cases allegedly involving children reported in shadow reports were currently being considered by the courts; the State would investigate these cases.
In Pakistan, there were around 24,000 people under the age of 25 suffering from type one diabetes. The Government had launched a programme targeting children with diabetes, which had established 27 specialised clinics offering free insulin and blood glucose strips. In Punjab, an “insulin card” system was in place, which allowed for the supply of insulin to the homes of persons with diabetes.
The State party had criminalised discrimination against transgender persons and established obligations to set up protection centres and safe houses for these persons. It was developing special training programmes for this community to promote their economic independence. Transgender persons could file complaints related to abuse with the National Human Rights Commission.
Children under the age of 10 had no criminal liability whatsoever. From age 10 to 14, children’s liability was considered on a case-by-case basis, following the English system. The State party would consider raising the minimum age of criminal responsibility to 14 in all cases following the Committee’s recommendations. All children involved in court cases needed to be informed of their right to legal assistance and could not appear in court without legal representatives and a probation officer present. Children could not be held in police stations; they needed to be kept at juvenile centres. If trials were not completed within six months, the offender needed to be released immediately.
Pakistan’s parliament was the first in the world to provide for the right to a clean and healthy environment by introducing this right into the Constitution. The State was not a major contributor to climate change but was facing the worst of its effects. The Government had strengthened national and provincial disaster management authorities. The reconstruction policy included measures such as database models for predicting floods and a unified approach to managing flood control systems. Provinces were implementing disaster management plans that sought to safeguard vulnerable segments of the population, including children. Dedicated helplines had been set up to provide information during disasters.
Questions by Committee Experts
THUWAYBA AL BARWANI, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator, said that private sector schools accommodated almost 46 per cent of students; this was a huge percentage by international standards, calling into question equity and quality in the education sector. How was the Government addressing this issue? What had been achieved in harmonising the curricula of the Madaris (religious schools), strengthening their regulation, and supporting the transition of madaris students into mainstream schools and vocational training? How was the State party combatting child abuse, including sexual abuse and corporal punishment, in madaris? What awareness raising campaigns on children’s rights were in place that targeted madaris and what teacher training programmes were available for teachers in madaris? What measures were in place to expand education access for refugee and asylum-seeking children?
PHILIP D. JAFFE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked whether corporal punishment was banned in all settings. Were cases of corporal punishment truly isolated incidents? Was the National Human Rights Commission truly independent? The Government seemed to be able to issue directives regulating the activities that the Commission carried out.
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked whether children had been convicted under the blasphemy law. What steps had been taken to protect children’s rights in the travel and tourism sector? How were the rights of children ensured in Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan? Did the State party collect data on children in these areas?
MARY BELOFF, Committee Expert and Taskforce Member, asked how the State party ensured general education for children in military schools. How was the State party addressing the children of families involved in armed groups, particularly those accused of terrorism crimes?
Other Committee Experts asked about whether the National Human Rights Commission had the capacity to collect data on children; the effectiveness of the 2016 law to combat honour crimes; whether the sale of children was specifically criminalised; whether people needed to pay to pick up their birth certificates; whether there was an awareness raising campaign in place promoting birth registration; what was being done to support the registration of children born at home and to unmarried mothers; plans to ratify the third Optional Protocol to the Convention and the Optional Protocol to the Convention against Torture; and whether the State party had a national preventive mechanism against torture.
Experts also asked about avenues that children could use to appeal criminal cases against them; the results of campaigns on preventing corporal punishment; sentences handed down to perpetrators in cases of child rape and support provided to victims; why some perpetrators of honour crimes were not brought to justice; whether girls who were victims of rape could access safe abortions; plans to address the lack of age determination protocols, particularly for death penalty cases; measures to reduce gender disparities affecting girls in education and health and address harmful practices that limited girls’ access to services; whether there were effective provincial child protection legislation and systems; and what the Government was doing to address structural problems that had led to the State’s debt crisis.
Responses by the Delegation
The delegation said Pakistan had ranked 148th out of 148 countries in the World Economic Forum’s gender parity report last year. This had spurred a flurry of activity from the Government to address the issue. The Forum had not considered important data, influencing this low ranking. The National Commission on the Status of Women was working on collecting this data, along with the Bureau of Statistics. Through affirmative action, the State party had increased the participation of women in the civil service. Over the last five years, an average of 45 per cent of civil service staff were women. The State party was working to address barriers to the participation of women and girls in society.
The Government had never used the legal provision that allowed it to regulate the activities of the National Human Rights Commission. A proposal for amending this provision was now being considered. The Commission helped the State in efforts to collect data related to human rights but was not the primary body responsible for data collection – the Bureau of Statistics was.
Pakistan had established a legislative coordination mechanism between the provinces and the federation. It had recently organised a study on the harmonisation of provincial legislation with national and international legislation, which would serve as a road map for future efforts. There were efforts to increase the minimum age for hazardous work in all provinces.
The sale of children and trafficking of children were criminalised in Pakistan through different legislation. The prevention of trafficking in persons act 2018 made trafficking in persons a crime nation-wide. The penalty for child trafficking offences was up to 10 years imprisonment. The Penal Code punished the sale of children with up to 25 years imprisonment. All cases of child sexual abuse were investigated and prosecuted under relevant laws, and no religious institution was immune from these laws. The clear definitions and punishments for child abuse in State law helped to protect children from activities in the tourism sector.
The Government collaborated with the madaris to provide them with teacher training and educational support. Madaris had been linked to universities to promote pathways to higher education for graduates. Regulatory boards for madaris had been set up by the State.
The State party was assessing international best practices related to age determination procedures. Juveniles were kept separately from adults in detention centres. The Federal Sharia Court was progressive on Islam. It had determined that the State had a right to determine the age of marriage. A law prohibiting the sale of tobacco to minors was in place, and the Government was conducting a serious crackdown on this offence.
There were 100,000 lady health care workers who visited homes and advised people about birth registration procedures. Pakistan was piloting a programme that sent text messages reminding parents to pick up birth certificates. Sindh had justice hubs serviced by lawyers that were helping people to complete civil documentation. A legal aid helpline was also in place; it had received calls from more than 500,000 citizens over the last 10 years.
Pakistan was working out modalities with Saudi Arabia on determining the status of Biharis. The State was not a signatory to the 1951 Refugee Convention or its 1967 Protocol. Pakistan had long faced a resource crisis in managing refugees, and terrorist attacks had been facilitated by the actions of some refugees. An attack in 2014 claimed the lives of 140 children.
Some families chose private schooling as they sought high-quality education. This helped unburden public schools. Since 2014, the net primary school enrolment rate had increased by 35 per cent; that of the high schools had increased by 45 per cent; the number of teachers had increased by 45 per cent; the number of schools by 181 per cent; and there had been a 17 per cent decrease in the infant mortality rate.
Concluding Remarks
THUWAYBA AL BARWANI, Committee Expert and Taskforce Coordinator, thanked the delegation for its very positive attitude to the dialogue. Pakistan had shown its dedication and enthusiasm toward improving the well-being of the children of the country. The Committee was certain that the challenges facing Pakistan could be and would be addressed. It looked forward to seeing more child-friendly legislation and child-driven reforms.
SOPHIE KILADZE, Committee Chair, congratulated the State party on the progress it had made on issues under the Optional Protocol on the sale of children. The Committee would provide the State party with recommendations to further strengthen the implementation of the Protocol.
The review with the Committee was for the future of Pakistan. What the State invested today in its children, it would benefit from 20 or 30 years in the future. It was important that the delegation had agreed to deliberate on many points raised in the dialogue. The State needed to do everything it could to ensure that every Pakistani child was protected.
AQEEL MALIK, Minister of State for Law and Justice of Pakistan and head of the delegation, said this was Pakistan’s first review with the Committee in nearly a decade. The Committee’s recommendations would be guiding principles for the State. The 100 million children in Pakistan, comprising nearly half of the population, were Pakistan’s most treasured possession. The State realised that more needed to be done for its children. Realising the rights of children was part of the State’s inter-generational social contract, was part of its faith, and was a duty of the State. Pakistan’s commitment to human rights grew out of the independence movement. Founders of the State sought equal rights and human dignity for the people. The State party would continue to uphold human rights and work towards the State’s foundational ideals.
The Government was working to address challenges posed by the large population, resource constraints, and existential threats like terrorism and climate change. Its legislative work had closed many gaps. It would continue to work to improve data collection and policies and steadily increase resource allocation, despite severe constraints and weakening international cooperation. Pakistan’s institutions were independent and capable of coordinating to address cross-cutting issues. The State party would work to translate the Committee’s guidance into progress for the rights of children in Pakistan. Mr. Malik closed by thanking all persons who had contributed to the dialogue.
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