5,000 children diagnosed with thalassemia annually

Karachi, May 8: Thalassemia is a major health problem and the most prevalent genetically transmitted blood disorder, with a carrier rate of five to eight percent in Pakistan. Around 5,000 children are diagnosed each year, according to Pakistan Medical Association Sindh. Dr Samrina Hashmi. Read more

Escape from forced labor

FAISALABAD, May 7: Two brothers, a 12-year-old and other 14-year-old, reached a Kamalia police station on May 5 after fleeing from a forced labor camp over a year and a half ago. Read more

Pakistan fourth in premature births, says report

KARACHI, May 3: Registering about 750,000 preterm births in 2010, Pakistan has ranked fourth in the latest global listing in terms of the number of preterm births, with India on the top, followed by China and Nigeria as third and fourth, respectively. It was revealed in the latest findings of the ‘Born too soon: the global action report on preterm birth’. The report was authored by a group of international multidisciplinary experts. Read more

50pc Khyber Agency IDPs are children, says UNICEF report

Islamabad, May 3: The UNICEF estimates out of over a quarter of a million people internally displaced from Khyber Agency since January 50 percent are children. Read more

Anti-polio campaign: Over 6 million children in KP, FATA vaccinated

As many as 6.1 million children in KP and Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) were vaccinated in the three-day anti-polio campaign from April 23-25. A total of 16,600 teams in KP and 3,000 teams in Fata were formed to administer the vaccination campaign. Read more

Prayer leader sexually assaults boy

A prayer leader was arrested for allegedly sexually abusing his 10-year-old student (R) in Ghazi tehsil, Haripur on April 24. A medical examination confirmed the abuse according to the police and doctors. Read more

School education: ‘One fourth of children in Sargodha not enrolled’

The NCHD annual report launched on April 24 stated that 25.5 percent of children (aged five to 16 years) in Sargodha are not enrolled in a school. Read more

ICRC suspends aid work in Pakistan after doctor’s murder

GENEVA, May 10: The International Committee of the Red Cross (ICRC) has stopped most of its work in Pakistan following the murder of a staff doctor in Quetta, pending a risk assessment of its operations in the country. Read more

United Kingdom: Child sex ring jailed in Britain

LONDON, May 10: A group of nine men of Pakistani and Afghan origin were sentenced to jail for grooming British schoolgirls for sex, using drink and drugs. Read more

South Korea: Crackdown on China baby flesh capsules

SEOUL, May 8: Thousands of pills filled with powdered human flesh have been discovered by customs officials in South Korea according to media reports.The capsules are in demand because they are viewed as being a medicinal ‘cure-all’. The San Francisco Times reported that tests carried out on the pills confirmed they were made up of 99.7 per cent human remains. The tests were successfully able to establish the genders of the babies used. Read more

TURKEY: Over 1,000 school children hospitalized after free milk fiasco

TURKEY, May 3: On the first day of a recent government project overseeing the distribution of free milk in state schools, hundreds of students around Turkey were hospitalized after drinking their milk. More than 1,000 students went to hospitals complaining of poisoning in nine cities and a number of towns in Turkey. Read more

INDIA: Private schools evasive in implementing SC order on Right To Education

KANPUR, April 16: The Central government’s initiative to implement Right To Education Act in all the parts of the country has paved a way for poor and backward children in mainstream education. Times Of India conducted a survey in the schools to know what the management thinks about the issue. Authorities of some schools have welcomed the Supreme Court’s order the implementation of RTE. Others remained noncommittal and refrained from making comment. Read more

COLOMBIA: 10-Year-Old Girl Gives Birth in Colombia

Colombia, April 6: A 10-year-old Colombian girl gave birth to a healthy baby girl, making her one of the youngest mothers ever. Read more

INDIA: Maid’s Cries Cast Light on Child Labor in India

New Delhi, April 5: Residents in the suburban housing complex of Dwarka, New Delhi, looked up and saw a 13-year-old girl crying for help from an upstairs balcony, as reported by Jim Yardley in The New York Times. She worked as a maid for a couple who had gone on vacation to Thailand, leaving her locked inside their apartment. Read more

Speakers urge protection of street children

PESHAWAR, May 2: Speakers at a media orientation session organized by SPARC in connection with Labor Day to highlight the plight of street children said that street children were at risk of verbal, emotional, physical and sexual abuse that could sometimes result into death. Read more

NGOs call for stronger laws to control child labour, trafficking

HYDERABAD, April 17:  A group of non-governmental organizations has launched a week-long campaign to press for the passage of new laws and implementation of existing ones to control violence against children. The advocacy groups organised a press conference on Monday and said that children, who constitute more than one-third of the population, do not have adequate protection under the law. Read more

‘Corporal punishment leaves negative impact’

PESHAWAR, April 15: Speakers at an orientation workshop here on April 14 said that corporal punishment left deep psychological and physical impact on students. Read more

International Street Children Day celebrated at Drop In Center Rawalpindi

SPARC drop-in centre at Pirwadhai has so far facilitated more than 1700 children who were living miserable life due to their working and living on streets. This was revealed by officials of the drop-in centre to the media during a ceremony on April 12 to commemorate International Street Children Day with the theme ‘Changing Perceptions’. Read more

One day sensitization session: Police Training and Capacity Building for Democracy and Human Rights

Islamabad, April 3: One day sensitization session for the 500 Police officials for “Police Training and Capacity Building for Democracy and Human Rights”, a project supported by the European Commission and implemented by Plan international in Pakistan and SPARC was held at National Library Islamabad on April 3. Read more

Pakistan Day Celebrations in Drop In Centers

Peshawar/Rawalpindi: Children at Drop In Center Peshawar celebrated  Pakistan Day in a fun-filled event. The children took active part in decorating the Drop In Center with colorful  balloons, flags and engaged in group activities and games. SPARC Peshawar supported DIC staff in preparation and conducting the event. Read more