UNICEF hosts children’s concert and listens to resounding calls for action on child rights in Pakistan
Karachi, (TW) __ Children from across Pakistan came together to speak up for their rights at a World Children’s Day commemoration in Karachi asking decision makers to “Listen to the Future”. Talented child musicians, performers and child rights champions shared their demands, hopes and dreams for the future through songs, words, and theatre.
“Climate change threatens our world, and we are worried about our future,” said Taqwa Ahmad, UNICEF Youth Advocate. “Our voices are often silenced, and our rights are ignored. Our asks are simple yet significant: listen to our concerns, value our emotions, and respect our rights. Take climate change seriously and turn your words into action.”
World Children’s Day is UNICEF’s global day of action for children, by children, marking the adoption of the Convention on the Rights of the Child (CRC) in 1989, the most widely ratified human rights treaty in history.
Pakistan was the sixth country to sign the CRC on 12 November 1990, affirming its commitment to promote, protect and fulfill child rights. Yet many rights remain out of reach for children and adolescents. Pakistan has one of the highest neonatal mortality rates in the world, around 40 per cent of children are out of school and over 40 per cent of children under 5 are malnourished.
“Urgent attention is needed to tackle pressing issues such as 26.2 million out-of-school children, high rates of malnutrition, and lack of safe water access for millions, among others. We must renew our commitment to ensure that all children can grow in safe, nurturing environments,” said Chief Minister of Sindh, Honorable Syed Murad Ali Shah.
A staggering 80-85 per cent of children experience violent discipline in Pakistan. Recently, the Government of Pakistan pledged to end all forms of violence against children by 2027 at the Global Ministerial Conference on Ending Violence Against Children in Bogotá, Colombia. UNICEF stands ready to support the government and communities to strengthen and expand child protection services and uphold children’s rights to protection from violence, exploitation and abuse.
“Today, I have seen the extraordinary talent, passion and vision of children in Pakistan. We need to ensure that girls and boys are given their rights, such as the right to health, to food nutrition, to protection, to clean water, to education… so they can survive, grow healthy and become educated. If they can achieve their full potential, they will help build a successful Pakistan tomorrow,” said Mohamed Yahya, UN Resident Coordinator in Pakistan.
According to UNICEF’s 2021 Children’s Climate Risk Index, children and young people in Pakistan face ‘extremely high risk’ from climate-related threats. Floods, heatwaves and air pollution have suspended schools in different parts of Pakistan this year, reducing children’s opportunities to learn, while the country grapples with an education emergency.
“Children make up almost half of the population of Pakistan, but they are rarely considered in the decisions that affect their futures. We need urgent action to uphold children’s rights and ensure every child has the opportunity to thrive,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan. “As world leaders travel to Azerbaijan for COP29, children are calling upon adults today to wake up to the climate crisis and prioritize their futures before it’s too late,” said Abdullah Fadil, UNICEF Representative in Pakistan.