Over 40% of Pakistani Children Under Five Are Stunted: Sherry

News Desk
Islamabad: Senator Sherry Rehman issued a stark warning on Universal Children’s Day, calling attention to Pakistan’s deepening child rights crisis and urging urgent nationwide action to protect the country’s youngest citizens.
Rehman said the day should serve as a national reckoning, noting that more than 26 million children remain out of school, girls continue to face barriers to education, and basic healthcare access is limited—conditions she described as “systemic failures” affecting generations.
“Universal Children’s Day is not symbolic—it is a call to action,” she said. “Our children continue to face malnutrition, lack of clean water, and an alarming infant mortality rate.”
Highlighting findings from the UNFPA Annual Report 2024, the senator underscored the deadly consequences of the current situation.

Read more: https://thepenpk.com/over-4-5-mln-women-babies-die-annually-during-pregnancy-childbirth-un/

“Every 50 minutes, a woman in Pakistan dies from complications related to pregnancy or childbirth,” she said, adding that underage marriage is a major factor behind these preventable deaths. “Girls have no control over their health, their nutrition, or even the survival of their newborns.”
Rehman stressed that over 40 percent of Pakistani children under five are stunted, a statistic she said reflects widespread hunger, chronic poverty and decades of policy neglect.
“No child should be forced into labour, denied education, or exposed to abuse,” she said. “This requires more than legislation—it requires political will, societal awareness, and nationwide implementation.”
Calling for coordinated action, she urged Punjab and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to join Sindh, Islamabad Capital Territory and now Balochistan in passing strong child-marriage restraint laws.
“Pakistan’s children deserve more than promises. They deserve protection, opportunity, and justice,” she said, warning that without immediate reforms the country risks failing yet another generation.