World Children’s Day is celebrated each year in November to honour the joy, innocence, and potential of children, protect their rights, and invest in their future. You! takes a look…
Imagine a world where every child is free to dream without fear, where every small heart beats in a safe environment, and where every young mind is nurtured and empowered. Reflecting on my own childhood, I’m flooded with memories of joy, excitement, and the simple pleasures of life - playing cricket and football, chasing butterflies, building castles in the sand, and staying up late for endless fun with cousins and friends. We cherished every chance to gather, laugh, and let our imaginations soar. We had games like Kho Kho, Chupan Chupayi, Pithowari, Gilli Danda, Baraf Paani, and many more that probably don’t even exist today. These weren’t just games; they were the foundation for physical development and creativity.
Today’s children have a different reality; they are born into a world of tech gadgets and digital screens, often missing out on these simple, physical games that once defined our youth. Their generation (Generation Alpha) navigates through virtual worlds with ease, but often at the cost of missing out on physical activities or exploring nature as we once did. Their playground is no longer the local park or street corner but the digital world, often leaving traditional games and outdoor adventures in the dust.
Even the cruel hands of time have snatched away beautiful fairy tales, replacing them with stories where children wait for superheroes to come and save them from disasters. Movies sometimes show survival as a solitary struggle, encouraging kids to hide in bunkers and see everyone as competition. These young minds are bound by technology, and they’re often exposed to movies and media where sudden catastrophes make people turn on one another instead of joining hands to help.
We used to prepare kids to be heroes themselves; now, we’re making them wait for a hero - a very unfortunate thing. Unlike previous generations, who primarily relied on books and face-to-face interaction for knowledge, Generation Alpha has a wealth of information at their fingertips. Yet, this easy access to information has brought about a paradox: while these children are more informed, they are also more distracted. The challenge lies in channelling their digital prowess into productive and meaningful learning experiences.
World Children’s Day is celebrated each year on 20th November to honour the joy, innocence, and potential of children, protect their rights, and invest in their future. This year’s theme ‘For every child, every right’ is a powerful reminder that every child deserves equal care, protection, and respect, regardless of race, religion, ethnicity, or background. However, in reality, millions of children still face incredible challenges: poverty, lack of access to quality education, health issues, discrimination, and exploitation. According to global statistics, many children worldwide lack fundamental rights. For these children, basic needs are often unmet, blocking their path to realising their potential.
In Pakistan, children face a distressing range of challenges that threaten their well-being and future. Over 3.3 million children are involved in child labour, often trapped in hazardous conditions that strip them of both education and safety.
The country also has one of the world’s highest rates of out-of-school children, with 22.8 million left without formal education due to economic hardship and limited access to quality schools. Many of these children, lacking protective support, are also at risk of ending up in juvenile detention, where inadequate rehabilitation and security measures expose them to further harm. Cases of child kidnapping add another layer of fear, with many incidents unresolved, highlighting a lack of effective child safety and protection mechanisms. Roshni Helpline is Pakistan’s first non-profit organisation nationwide helpline for reporting missing children’s cases. According to Roshni Helpline’s annual report, the issue of missing children has reached critical levels: out of 2,633 reported missing children, only 1,942 have been reunited with their families, while hundreds remain lost. Sindh leads in missing children’s cases, signalling a pressing need for enhanced policies, law enforcement, and child protection services to secure a safe, supportive environment for every child in Pakistan.
The foundation of world Children’s Day is the acknowledgment that children have rights. This includes not just the right to education and health but also the right to be seen, heard, and respected. When we advocate for policies that prioritise children’s mental health, support families in poverty, or work to eliminate child labour, we actively support every child’s right to a life of dignity. Every policy change, no matter how small, sends a message: we are listening, we are acting, and we care.
Children are our future, but they are also our present. They deserve a society that values their individuality, protects their innocence, and nurtures their growth. We owe it to them to build a world where they feel safe, cherished, and encouraged - a world where every child has the right to be different, the courage to learn in their way, and the freedom to dream beyond limits. On this World Children’s Day, let us renew our commitment to nurturing every child’s right to thrive. Together, we can create a world where every child, in every corner, feels valued and supported, one that lets them believe that anything is possible.
The writer is a development professional. She can be reached at quratmudasar@gmail.com
