A major focus was the “severe national crisis” in education. Over 25 million children aged 5-16 – roughly one-third of the school-age population – remain out of school.
The United Nations Committee on the Rights of the Child has spotlighted grave concerns over Pakistan’s child rights landscape, declaring an “education emergency” and highlighting escalating risks of violence, including sexual abuse, as the country underwent a critical review in Geneva in January 2026.
During the session concluding on January 16, 2026, the committee examined Pakistan’s combined sixth and seventh periodic reports under the convention on the rights of the child (CRC), along with its initial report under the optional protocol on the sale of children, child prostitution, and child pornography. Committee chair Sophie Kiladze commended Pakistan for constitutionally embedding the principle of the best interests of the child, calling it “outstanding.” However, experts emphasized stark gaps between legal frameworks and on-the-ground realities, leaving millions of children exposed to harm.
A major focus was the “severe national crisis” in education, as described by committee expert Thuwayba Al Barwani. Over 25 million children aged 5-16 – roughly one-third of the school-age population – remain out of school. Alarmingly, 77 per cent of children aged 10 cannot read or comprehend basic texts. Questions arose about enforcement of free and compulsory education, equitable access amid poverty and disasters, and overall quality improvements.
Violence Against Children
Violence against children emerged as another pressing issue. The committee raised alarms over sexual violence, particularly against boys, gender-based violence, corporal punishment, and online abuse. Kiladze pointed to “alarming numbers of cases” and pressed Pakistan on addressing root causes, thorough investigations, accountability through justice systems, and robust victim support and rehabilitation.
Pakistan’s delegation, led by minister of state for law and justice, Aqeel Malik, defended national efforts, describing child rights as a top priority. They highlighted a national strategic plan on violence against children emphasizing protection, prosecution, and rehabilitation, with district-level mechanisms, inspections, rescues, and proportionate penalties.
On education, the government noted prime minister’s declaration of a nationwide education emergency in September 2024, linking out-of-school rates to poverty, malnutrition, and climate disasters. Initiatives include cash stipends boosting girls’ enrolment by 800,000, extensive teacher training, removal of documentation barriers, and reconstruction of over 2,000 flood-damaged schools in Sindh and Punjab.
Recent legislative reforms were showcased, such as laws setting the minimum marriage age at 18 nationwide (including in Islamabad and Balochistan via 2025 child marriage restraint acts), criminalizing online child sexual abuse and cyberbullying, expanding maternity/paternity leave, mandating workplace daycare, strengthening anti-trafficking measures, and improving juvenile justice procedures. The zainab alert, response and recovery act (ZARRA) was cited as a key tool against abductions and exploitation, complemented by mobile apps for abuse reporting and programs like Benazir Nashounuma targeting child malnutrition.
Persistent Child Abuse
Despite these steps, domestic data paints a troubling picture of persistent child abuse and low accountability. A October 2025 briefing by the parliamentary caucus on child rights, led by convenor Nikhat Shakeel Khan, revealed a 220 per cent surge in reported child abuse cases from 2019-2023, with at least 5,398 child sexual abuse incidents. In 2024 alone, Punjab topped with 6,083 cases, followed by Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (1,102), Sindh (354), Islamabad (138), and Balochistan (69). Categories included sexual abuse (3,002), kidnapping (2,505), child labour (895), physical abuse (697), trafficking (588), and child marriage (59). Early 2025 data showed Punjab reporting 4,150 cases in the first half itself.
Conviction rates remain dismal: 0.7 per cent for sexual abuse, 4.7 per cent for trafficking and 4 per cent for child labour. There have been no convictions for physical abuse, kidnapping, child marriage, and related crimes. Province-wise, Punjab had the lowest at 0.2 per cent conviction rate, while Balochistan reached 18 per cent. Experts from the sustainable social development organization (SSDO) attributed this to unreported cases, evidentiary gaps, and institutional weaknesses. Recommendations included specialized forensic units, fast-track child protection courts with 120-day resolutions, victim/witness protection laws, expanded abuse definitions (including psychological and digital), and child-sensitive procedures.
Vulnerable groups face compounded risks. A January 20, 2026, article in The Friday Times highlighted the “invisible” plight of street-connected children in urban centers – bus terminals, railways, parks, shrines, and markets – where sexual exploitation, including transactional sex, grooming, trafficking, and tech-facilitated abuse, is rampant. Factors include poverty, family breakdown, climate displacement, lack of identity documents, and punitive policies criminalizing survival activities like begging or sleeping rough. These children are largely absent from official data, policy, and services, fearing authorities more than abusers.
Dangers for Displaced Children
Similarly, UNICEF’s September 2025 report, “Child Protection for Children on the Move in Pakistan,” underscores heightened dangers for internally displaced, Afghan migrant, and forcibly displaced children – nearly half of UNHCR’s population of concern. Risks include violence, family separation, trafficking, child marriage, gender-based violence, forced labour, and psychosocial distress, particularly in urban/peri-urban areas with limited services. With an estimated 3.6 million Afghans in Pakistan, evidence gaps persist, calling for inclusive, rights-based responses and better service access to foster social cohesion.
The UN Committee is set to release detailed concluding observations on January 30, 2026, urging child-centred legislation, greater inclusion of children’s voices, and scaled-up delivery in education, protection, and justice. As Kiladze noted, “What Pakistan invests in its children today will define the country’s future 20 or 30 years from now.” Malik pledged to use the guidance for tangible improvements, recognizing children as nearly half the population and the nation’s “most treasured asset.”
Pakistan’s challenges – poverty, disasters, insecurity, and uneven provincial implementation – underscore the urgency. While reforms signal commitment, translating them into protection for every child remains critical, especially for the most marginalized.
Image: UNICEF
