A happier childhood for all

How protected, happy and most importantly ‘wholesome’ are all our children’s lives? With an estimated 107, 662, 243 children under the age of 18 in Pakistan (Unicef, 2023) the question that looms large is: how committed are we to shaping the country’s reality through our children?

In 2018, when I first entered parliament as an elected MNA (an accidental political entrant/ husband’s proxy), my two strong observations after a few sessions were that it is a male space and that children are not mentioned nor recognised, and interest in citizens begins at those that are 18 years old – the age of voting.

Pre-parliament, 25 years of my life were dedicated to providing equitable education to marginalised children, especially girls. In the National Assembly, amidst the high-strung political speeches with a colourful barrage of words, I failed to find meaning or compassion for the constituencies the MNAs represented, especially for women and children.

However, despite the deepening political polarisation there seemed to be an opportunity to initiate relevant bills and a debate on children. My first attempt was in in December 2018. I drafted a resolution on child rights which the house adopted, affirming the government’s resolve to ensure protection of child rights and take steps to remove malnutrition and commit to the first thousand days of a child’s life.

Being in the opposition and keenly seeking opportunities, the second step was to create a subcommittee on child rights at the Sustainable Development Goals Task Force, as nine of the 16 goals impact children. Policymakers in Pakistan seemed ready to create an extra space for children as 2020 was a year to commemorate the 30 years of the UNCRC as a signatory to the convention. The subcommittee then reviewed through the lens of the Child Rights Convention (CRC) all children-related legislations in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Punjab and Sindh (the exercise was supported by Unicef and the NA Secretariat and the then National Assembly speaker, Asad Qaiser).

By adopting a bipartisan approach, we travelled to all the provincial assemblies to share the results, with the hope of fostering a common commitment. By that time, there was significant traction within political parties, and bipartisan support for raising and advancing the children’s agenda in Parliament. As a private member, I passed three bills: the Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Bill 2021, Islamabad Capital Territory; the Rights of Domestic Workers Bill 2021, Islamabad Capital Territory, which prohibits children under the age of 14 from working in households; and the Cybercrimes Act, an amendment to the Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act (PECA) 2016 (Act XL of 2016), which includes protections for children against cybercrimes.

These bills were passed with bipartisan support and the commitment of the speaker. However, a constitutional amendment to Article 11A, recognising the age of majority for children as 18, was rejected by the Law and Justice Parliamentary Committee. Although the cabinet passed rules for the prohibition of corporal punishment, enforcement by the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training has not been fully realised. The other two acts remain stagnant, with little progress, as children’s issues continue to be a low priority.

A key lesson learned during the years spent passing these bills was the dismal budgetary allocations for those under 18, which hindered the momentum needed to push these laws forward. It is worth noting that when the legislative review was conducted under the umbrella of the UNCRC in 2019, there were 31 laws concerning children in Islamabad Capital Territory, 16 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 22 in Punjab, 7 in Balochistan, and 20 in Sindh. However, upon reviewing these laws, none have been implemented comprehensively or in a structured manner, nor have they taken a holistic approach to addressing children’s needs.

This raises many questions about the lack of implementation of legislation and the commitment to enforcing it with proper budgetary allocations. The ‘political will’ to prioritise children’s issues is not equally shared across all provinces and federating units. Parliamentary commitments are often not upheld by members in their respective constituencies.

At parliament, another big win after creating a bipartisan momentum was the approval of the Parliamentary Child Rights Caucus in 2023. The then NA speaker, Raja Parvaiz Ashraf, became the driving force and helped constitute the said caucus. In 2023, when parliament was engaged in many activities to celebrate 50 years of the constitution, in an unprecedented move, it was opened up to minorities, women activists, schoolchildren to hold debates. The children’s session remains etched in my mind, especially a historic speech made by Sayed Ali Akbar Hashmi – a 13-year-old who shook the entire floor when he narrated how he saw the majority of dejected, hungry and hopeless young persons from his car window while going to school as part of the 10 per cent of the elite.

He questioned why Article 11 of the constitution remains redundant. The article protects children under 14 from hazardous labour and addresses the issues of forced labour, slavery and human trafficking. He further questioned why the prohibition of corporal punishment for children is not implemented. He drew attention to Article 25A passed in 2010 which holds the state responsible for educating children between the ages 6 to 16. He asked why there are no sports tournaments; why plazas are built on sports grounds; why the media shows political polarisation and political debates and no children programmes; and why citizens under the age of 18 are not considered seriously. He then posed a very important question to the Prime minister: what and who is the future of Pakistan? All the questions still remain unanswered.

Moving to 2024, there have been many attempts at showing concern for the dismal state of the country’s children. A National Education Emergency has been declared, with almost 26 million children out of school, resulting in the National Education Task Force 2024. Ironically, Article 25A of the constitution holds the state responsible for imparting education to children aged 5-16 years, and if this responsibility is fulfilled no child would be out of school. Likewise, a Polio Task Force has been constituted in response to the increasing cases of polio in the country. The number has risen to 71 in 2025.

Thankfully, National Assembly Speaker Ayaz Sadiq has decided to strengthen the Parliamentary Caucus for Child Rights. It is pertinent to mention here that the National Commission on Rights of Child has been operational since 2020. A few days back, the Ministry of Federal Education and Professional Training hosted an impressive International Conference in Islamabad, titled ‘Girls’ Education in Muslim Communities: Challenges and Opportunities’ and supported by the Muslim World League. Thirteen Muslim scholars spoke on the subject, along with delegations from 45 countries.

With all the legislation not yet implemented and periodic conferences to acknowledge children, we remain oblivious to what the real needs are. The government has to allocate more budget to education, health, immunisation, malnutrition, stunting etc. While these are strong pillars, mental health, actualisation of aspirations, citizenship, parenting, character building, and social and physical opportunities remain a far-fetched reality. A national debate is long overdue on what a happy childhood means for all children, recognising the diverse reality of Pakistan.

It is now time to look at children as young humans. The first step would be for the state to own all children, and start looking at the happiness indicators for young citizens of Pakistan. So that their voices are heard and reckoned with.

The writer is a former member of the National Assembly and a children, women and minorities advocate. She tweets/posts @Mehnazakberaziz