Tag: children

  • Bushra Ansari connection with husband’s children is so wholesome

    Bushra Ansari connection with husband’s children is so wholesome

    Renowned actress Bushra Ansari recently shared a heartfelt revelation in her latest vlog, announcing her marriage to Iqbal Hussain. Despite being married for a few years, Ansari had kept her marriage private to avoid societal judgment. However, she felt it was time to introduce her husband to her fans.

    In her vlog, Ansari discussed the importance of transcending age differences, praising her husband’s maturity. She emphasized that a strong marriage requires mutual understanding and the ability to overcome past challenges, which both she and Iqbal have faced in their previous relationships.

    Ansari also spoke warmly about her relationship with her husband’s sons, who are now studying in Canada. She shared the close bond they have developed with her own daughter, who resides in the same neighborhood. Ansari highlighted how their shared experiences, including having a grandson around the same age, have strengthened their family ties.

    Furthermore, Ansari candidly addressed the sensitive topic of divorce, acknowledging that sometimes relationships simply do not work out despite efforts to make them succeed. She emphasized the emotional toll of divorce, stressing that “no one enters marriage with the intention of ending it.”

  • Maryam sends McDonald’s to children, teachers, deletes post after social media uproar

    Maryam sends McDonald’s to children, teachers, deletes post after social media uproar

    Chief Minister of Punjab Maryam Nawaz got into trouble when Punjab government sent McDonald’s meal bags as a gift to school children in Murree on Tuesday.

    The famous fast-food chain faced boycotts and protests internationally when it announced shortly after the October 7 attacks, that it would give free meals to the Israeli military. In many countries throughout the world, including Pakistan, McDonald’s was subjected to boycotts on allegations of aiding Israel’s genocide in Gaza.

    On Monday, Maryam Nawaz visited a government girls high school in Murree where she inquired about the facilities in school, including health facilities.

    The very next day, the provincial government sent McDonald’s meal bags for the children.

    The PML-N’s also shared videos with their followers on X.

  • Heatwaves put millions of children in Asia at risk: UN

    Heatwaves put millions of children in Asia at risk: UN

    Massive heatwaves across East Asia and the Pacific could place millions of children at risk, the UN warned Thursday, calling for action to protect vulnerable people from the soaring temperatures.

    Global monitors have warned that 2024 is shaping up to be the hottest year on record, marked by climate extremes and rising greenhouse gas emissions.

    The UNICEF data showed over 243 million children across the Pacific and East Asia were estimated to be affected by heatwaves, putting them at risk of heat-related illnesses and death.

    Several countries in the region are currently smouldering in the summer heat, with temperatures nearing record levels as they regularly hit over 40 degrees Celsius (104 degrees Fahrenheit).

    Local forecasters are predicting steeper rises in the coming weeks.

    Some Philippine schools suspended in-person classes in April, with the state weather forecaster saying temperatures could reach a “danger” level of 42 or 43 degrees Celsius in parts of the country.

    In Thailand, a temperature of 43.5 degrees Celsius was recorded in the northern province of Mae Hong Son earlier this week — just a few degrees shy of the record 44.6 degrees Celsius.

    Around 40 people die from heat-related illnesses annually, according to the Thai Ministry of Health.

    And in February, neighbouring Vietnam endured a monster heatwave in its southern “rice bowl” when temperatures reached up to 38 degrees Celsius — an “abnormal” high for the period.

    According to the UNICEF report, children are more at risk than adults as they are less able to regulate their body temperature.

    “Children are more vulnerable than adults to the effects of climate change, and excess heat is a potentially lethal threat to them,” said Debora Comini, Director of UNICEF Regional Office for East Asia and the Pacific.

    The report said heatwaves and high humidity levels — commonly experienced in the region — can have a deadly effect as the heat will “hinder the body’s natural cooling mechanisms.”

    “We must be on high alert this summer to protect children and vulnerable communities from worsening heatwaves and other climate shocks,” Comini said.

    The UN projected that over two billion children are expected to be exposed to heatwaves by 2050.

  • China to criminally try three minors for child murder

    China to criminally try three minors for child murder

    China will put three minors on trial for allegedly murdering another child, a provincial prosecutor said Monday, in a case that has shocked the nation and sparked public debate over the treatment of juvenile offenders.

    The three suspects, all aged under 14 at the time of the murder, are accused of bullying a middle-school classmate surnamed Wang over a long period before killing him last month.

    The grim details of the case, in which the killers reportedly buried Wang’s body in an abandoned greenhouse, drew public attention to how the law deals with juveniles accused of serious crimes.

    In 2021, China lowered its age of criminal responsibility from 14 to 12 for “special cases” such as inflicting death by “extremely cruel means”.

    The Hebei case is thought to be one of the first to apply the lower age limit.

    The provincial prosecutor said Monday it had received a police request last month to criminally try the suspects, surnamed Zhang, Li and Ma.

    It said it had concluded that the three were between 12 and 14 when they “intentionally committed murder, causing the death of the victim Wang”.

    “The circumstances were serious and they should be held criminally responsible,” the provincial office said, adding that the country’s top public prosecutor had reviewed the decision.

    “While handling cases strictly in accordance with the law, the procuratorial organs will… further strengthen the prevention and treatment of juvenile crimes,” the provincial prosecutor continued.

    Under Chinese law, murder is punishable by imprisonment or the death penalty.

  • ‘Shocking increase’ of children denied aid in conflicts: UN

    ‘Shocking increase’ of children denied aid in conflicts: UN

    A growing number of children caught up in armed conflicts around the globe are being denied access to critical humanitarian aid, a United Nations official warned Wednesday, as relief operations come under attack or are blocked by governments.

    The last report by the UN secretary-general on the rights of children in conflicts, published in June 2023, recorded nearly 4,000 confirmed cases of aid being denied to children, from Gaza to Yemen, Afghanistan and Mali.

    “Data gathered for our forthcoming 2024 report shows we are on target to witness a shocking increase of the incidents of the denial of humanitarian access globally,” Virginia Gamba, the secretary-general’s special representative for children and armed conflict, told the Security Council Wednesday.

    She said last year’s figure already represented an “exponential” increase since 2019.

    “Cases of denial of humanitarian access are linked to the restriction of humanitarian activities and movements; interference with humanitarian operations and discrimination of aid recipients; direct and indiscriminate attacks on civilian infrastructure; disinformation and detention, violence against, and killing of, humanitarian personnel; and looting,” Gamba said.

    She did not specify which countries would be singled out in the 2024 report, set to be released this summer.

    Nearly half of the cases in last year’s report — 1,861 — were of Israeli forces denying aid to children in Gaza.

    That report came before the October 7 attack by Hamas militants on southern Israel and the ensuing all-out war in Gaza.

    The UN has since repeatedly denounced restrictions Israel has put on aid entering the war-torn territory.

    “As a result of these constraints, children cannot access age-appropriate nutritious food or medical services and have less than two to three liters of water per day,” UNICEF deputy executive director Ted Chaiban told the Council.

    “The consequences have been clear,” Chaiban said, noting that one in three children in northern Gaza  under two years old suffer from acute malnutrition, “a figure that has more than doubled in the last two months.”

    Apart from Gaza, he also highlighted the threats to children’s access to humanitarian aid in Sudan and Burma.

    In addition to access to humanitarian aid, the UN’s report on children and armed conflict also lists the number of children killed and wounded, as well as attacks on hospitals and schools.

    From all the data points, the report draws up a “list of shame” of government forces and other armed groups responsible for the violations.

    Last year’s report listed Russia’s military over its attacks on Ukraine, but excluded Israel, angering several NGOs which have called for its inclusion for years.

  • ‘Less loneliness’; Hina Bayat talks about the choice to not have children

    ‘Less loneliness’; Hina Bayat talks about the choice to not have children

    When someone’s life doesn’t follow the usual path, people start asking questions. Actor Hina Bayat does not have children and when she was on Maliha Rehman’s show, she was asked about why she doesn’t have children. She was very open as always and revealed that “Yes , my husband and I always wanted to have children, but this was not in Allah’s plans. We were always enough for each other, and our life was beautiful and complete.”

    She also shared, “I might have more support today if I had kids and there would be less loneliness. But on the other hand, the children would be college age and I would have had added pressures. So, I am thankful to Allah SWT for not putting me under any pressure. She also spoke about Madiha Imam and Osman Khalid Butt who she has a close bond with and said, “they are like my kids.”

  • Two out of five Yemeni children out of school: aid group

    Two out of five Yemeni children out of school: aid group

    Dubai: Nearly a decade into Yemen’s brutal war, some 4.5 million of its children are not attending school, the charity Save the Children said Monday.

    The figure underlines how precarious daily life remains in the Arabian Peninsula’s poorest country, despite relative calm since an April 2022 ceasefire.

    “Two in five children, or 4.5 million, are out of school, with displaced children twice as likely to drop out than their peers,” the group said in a report.

    “One third of families surveyed in Yemen have at least one child who has dropped out of school in the past two years despite the UN-brokered truce,” it added.

    The conflict in Yemen began when Iran-backed Houthi rebels seized the capital Sanaa in September 2014, prompting Saudi Arabia to lead a coalition to prop up the internationally recognized government months later.

    Economic insecurity amid the war has plunged two thirds of Yemen’s 33 million inhabitants below the poverty line, the charity said, while also displacing about 4.5 million people.

    “Displaced children are twice as vulnerable to school dropouts,” Save the Children said.

    “Nine years into this forgotten conflict, we are confronting an education emergency like never before,” said Mohammed Manna, Save the Children’s interim country director in Yemen.

    “Our latest findings must be a wake-up call and we must act now to protect these children and their future.”

    The report said 14 percent of families interviewed by the aid group pointed to insecurity as the reason behind their children dropping out.

    But a larger majority — some 44 percent — pointed to economic reasons, in particular the need to support family incomes. Some 20 percent said they were unable to afford regular school costs.

    “The impact of the education crisis on Yemen’s children and their future is profound,” the charity said.

    “Without immediate intervention, an entire generation risks being left behind.”

  • UC Chairman shot dead in Karachi over children dispute

    UC Chairman shot dead in Karachi over children dispute

    A UC Chairman was killed as a result of firing between two groups over the issue of children in Bhitaiabad, Karachi.

    The incident followed a fight among children in Bhataiabad Street No. 19, during which people from two groups fired at each other, as a result of which one person was killed and six people were injured, reports Geo News.

    According to the police, the deceased person was identified as Sabir Magsi, chairman of UC-9 from Pakistan Peoples Party.

    As soon as the incident was reported, a heavy contingent of police and rescue personnel reached the spot and shifted the injured to the hospital.

    Counselor Shaukat Nazir told the media that the victim was a businessman and had left behind a widow and two children. “The victim was with me sometime before the incident and was killed by a bullet in the neck,” he said.

    Shaukat Nazir further elaborated that the incident took place during a children’s fight. He asserted that the administration will take legal action after the burial.

  • Rates of violence against women, children remain alarming in 2023

    Rates of violence against women, children remain alarming in 2023

    2023 was another difficult year for the women of Pakistan who routinely have to battle against violence and discrimination. 

    In November, UN Women’s Gender Snapshot 2023 report revealed that 245 million women and girls are subjected to physical and/or sexual violence from their intimate partners each year, adding that a “staggering 86pc of women and girls live in countries without robust legal protections against violence, or in countries where data are not available”.

    This violence is not limited to women and girls but extends to boys as well. Back in August, Sahil, an NGO, reported that an average of 12 children per day (or one every two hours) faced sexual abuse in Pakistan in 2023 whereas 2,227 cases of child sexual abuse were traced between January and June this year.

    Here are some of the pertinent cases from the year 2023 that took over the headlines:

    1. Fatima Case

    A domestic maid, 10-year-old Fatima Phuriro, was found dead under suspicious circumstances in Ranipur.

    The child had been working as a domestic worker at a haveli owned by an influential local, Pir Asad Shah Jilani.

    It was not until videos of the child were leaked by an unknown source and circulated in social media that the case caught the media’s eye. By then, the family had buried Fatima on August 15.

    The body was later exhumed and sent for an autopsy which revealed that the girl had been raped both vaginally and anally.

    The suspects are in custody. 

    2.  Rizwana

    Rizwana, 14, had been allegedly assaulted and abused while working at a civil judge’s home in Islamabad, after she was accused of stealing jewellery. Rizwana’s family revealed that the girl was not paid a single penny by the family for the extensive workload she was doing and was instead subjected to violence.

    Islamabad Police recorded Rizwana’s statement at the Child Protection Bureau in Lahore where she alleged that the judge himself beat her up, hitting her head against the wall, while his wife and children would also assault her.

    3. F9 park incident

    In February, a girl went to Islamabad’s F-9 park along with her male colleague when two men stopped them at gunpoint and took them to a heavily wooded area where they beat her, raped her and told her to “not come to the park at this time”.

    In her FIR, the girl said that the men told her to “not come to the park at this time”.

    The incident sparked anger and protests as women questioned the security in the capital of the country.

    4. Sara Malik

    The year started with the news that a body was found near Farhan Shaheed Park at Seaview, Karachi, in January. Identified as Sara Malik, the 23-year-old employee worked at a veterinary hospital in DHA 8. Registration of a murder case was recorded under Section 302 (premeditated murder) of the Pakistan Penal Code after further investigations.

    Malik initially went missing from Karachi’s Seaview beach and the police reportedly claimed that she might have committed suicide by jumping into the sea but according to police officials, Dr Shan Saleem, who was nominated in the case, confessed to killing her after sexually assaulting her.

    5. Principal raping women

    The principal of a private school in Gulshan-i-Hadeed, Karachi, was taken into custody in September after allegations of raping and blackmailing women.

    Steel Town police Station House Officer (SHO) Nand Lal told media that the school principal was detained as videos of the alleged rape incidents made rounds on social media.

    The principal has admitted to the allegations that he raped women after promising them job opportunities, then recording their videos to blackmail them.

    It was also revealed that more than 45 women were identified in connection with the case as Irfan allegedly blackmailed the women in order to commit these crimes.

    The public prosecutor contended that the case is indicative of a planned scheme.

    6. Andaleeb Fatima

    Andaleeb Fatima, 13, was named as the victim in an FIR filed by her mother, Khalida Bibi, a resident of Chiniot in Punjab. Andaleeb had been working for the female suspect since July of this year and according to her mother, she was unable to talk to her daughter since was not allowed to do so by her employer.

    It was only when Khalida Bibi visited Fatima after several unanswered calls that she found out about the torture inflicted upon her daughter. She found bruises on different parts of her daughter’s body. Fatima told her mother that her employer routinely beat her and tormented her with a hot spoon. She also locked her up and did not feed her food.

    7. Special needs children

    A nine-year old child with special needs was raped and murdered in Korangi, Karachi.

    According to Zaman Town police, the body was found in the “rear seat of a parked Suzuki Cultus car. The body was bluish and foaming from the mouth”.

    Police surgeon Dr Summaiya Syed reported that the child was differently abled with a right hand deformity. “There were multiple injuries all over the body and findings are suggestive of anal sexual abuse,” she revealed.

    Similarly, a 12-year-old student with special needs was sexually assaulted in a school for special children in Rawalpindi.

    8. Raped during job application

    In January, a woman in Lahore was gang-raped after being lured for a job. The culprits recorded videos of the immoral act to blackmail the victim.

    The defendant, Khalil, had invited the woman to travel to Kot Khawaja Saeed Hospital for a meeting and had given her a job. As soon as she arrived, the suspect led her to a house where he and two other accomplices forced her into a room and raped her on gun point.

    According to the FIR, the woman alleged that the suspect had also videotaped the immoral behaviour and had told her not to call the police.

    9. Burnt alive

    Shumaila, the woman who was burnt alive by her husband Naseer and his first wife Robina died in a hospital in Lahore. She was admitted to a hospital but could not survive the severity of her burns. The incident happened in a village near Gujranwala, Chak Behlol.

    Further investigation revealed that she got divorced from her first husband to marry Naseer who was already married. The constant tussle between the two wives led to this tragic situation where she was burnt alive by Naseer and his first wife in the presence of a crowd of villagers who kept making videos.

    Naseer was taken into custody by the police.

    10. Boys

    In June, a cleric in Lahore’s Raiwind area tried strangling an eight-year-old to death after after he had repeatedly raped him in his madrassah.

    The FIR, revealed that the accused Qari Muhammad Rizwan fractured the child’s arm while he was torturing him and had then pushed the boy down stairs from the first floor to the ground floor, which led to severe head injuries that made the boy unconscious.

    11. Honour Killing

    In September, a married woman from the Alkani tribe was allegedly killed by her husband and his allies over ‘honour’. The stoning took place in the limits of Chucha Border Military Police (BMP) station in the tribal area of Rajanpur district after the woman was accused of adultery with a man, leading to her husband killing her, along with her brother-in-law and their accomplice. They reportedly smashed her head with stones and clubs.

    In October, a newlywed couple was shot dead inside a mosque in Jhelum.

    Rehman Rasool and Safia recently eloped to get married of their own free will. They were then called in by the girl’s family for reconciliation. Sensing the possible threat, the two of them took refuge in a mosque’s courtyard but got gunned down by the family, nevertheless.

  • Children are being lured by e-cigarettes, World Health Organization warns

    Children are being lured by e-cigarettes, World Health Organization warns

    The World Health Organization (WHO) has warned that children around the world are being lured into using e-cigarettes through social media, leading to nicotine addiction.

    With more than 16,000 flavours of e-cigarettes available, WHO asserts urgent action to prevent children from becoming addicted to e-cigarettes.

    E-cigarettes are not helping in quitting smoking, and there is no age limit for the sale of e-cigarettes in 88 countries around the world, it added.

    Additionally, there is no law related to e-cigarettes in 74 countries of the world, WHO has highlighted, stressing that e-cigarettes can also cause cancer, heart, lung and mental diseases.

    The organisation has suggested that stricter legislation and enforcement is needed to stop the sale of e-cigarettes.

    “Urgent action is needed to control e-cigarettes to protect children, as well as non-smokers and minimize health harms to the population,” the WHO wrote in the release.