460,000 children under five years of age die annually in Pakistan: report
ISLAMABAD: The mortality rate of children under five years of age stands at 89 deaths per 1,000 live births in Pakistan, and an estimated 460,000 such children die
each year in the country, one of the biggest rates in South Asia.
Around 30 percent of children in Pakistan are chronically malnourished, and 2.1 million babies are born in the country with severe intellectual impairment caused by iodine deficiency.According to a report launched by the Society for the Protection of the Rights
of the Child (SPARC), the recent statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO) are higher, indicating that 33.3 percent of children under five as being underweight.
It is estimated that 35 percent of the diseases that burden children under-five are linked with malnutrition.Talking to APP, Child Rights Coordinator, Shaista Kiran, said the first two years of a childs life were particularly important as optimal nutrition during this period would lead to reduced morbidity and mortality, reduced risk of chronic diseases and better development overall.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC), every infant and child has the right to good nutrition.Globally, 30 percent of children under-five are estimated to be stunted, and 18 percent have low weight for height, mostly as a consequence of poor feeding and repeated infections.
Shaista Kiran said that the government had aimed at ensuring a 100 percent availability of iodized salt in the market by 2015.Recent floods in the country also resulted in the loss of food crops which further worsened the food security situation in addition to increased incidents of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, which also contributes to malnourishment.According to the statistics, nearly 126,000 of the total number of children under five years of age affected by floods are at risk of being severely malnourished.
460,000 children under five years of age die annually in Pakistan: report - thenews.com.pk
sorry my friend i think that is 58%.
Pakistan: Still one of the worst places in the world to be a woman
According to the World Bank, womens literacy remains low at 42%. The ratio of young literate females to males (age 15-24) is 74.85%.
KARACHI: Gender equalities remain pronounced in Pakistan; in a region that has among the poorest gender equality records in the world. There has been recent progress in increasing the rates of womens political representation thanks to reservation of seats for women in Parliament and local bodies and in the raising the average age of girls at marriage and first birth, both of which are now above the regional average (UNICEF 2011).
Yet, stark gender gaps persist in education, health and across economic sectors. According to the World Bank, womens literacy remains low at 42%. The ratio of young literate females to males (age 15-24) is 74.85%. Only Afghanistan has a lower ratio. In 2008, Pakistans infant mortality rate and percentage of births attended by skilled health staff was worse than the South Asian average (73 vs 59 per 1,000 live births; and 39 vs 42 percent, respectively) ; while its total fertility rate was higher than the regional average (3.9 vs 2.9 births per woman). Thankfully this has fallen since then and now Pakistan has a fertility rate that is lower than most of its neighbours.
Given these challenges to their human capital development, women face severe constraints to their access to services in most sectors, and in their income-earning opportunities. Pakistans female labour force participation is lower than the regional average. The rate of womens borrowing from Microfinance institutions is lower than any other South Asian country, including Afghanistan. Keeping in mind that women make up more than half of Pakistans population, this is a serious economic drawback.
Pakistans Second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper has recognised that gender disparities pose a critical constraint to achieving country development objectives. The Country Partnership Strategy 2010-13, which is a WB initiative, works to help organise efforts and initiatives that help to restore some of the gender balance. According to the report, it now goes beyond emphasising gender in the context of human development and social protection. This is in part due to the influence of the 2010 Pakistan Gender-Sensitive Portfolio Review, which ascertained the degree to which gender was addressed across sectors in 24 existing and 26 pipeline operations in the World Banks portfolio at the time. The Review found human development sectors to be significantly more advanced than economic sectors in their attention to gender issues and recommended common approaches for economic sectors to improve this situation.
Pakistan is still far from ideal when it comes to addressing gender inequality issues but there are significant efforts on the ground that may have more of an impact in the years to come. For example according to the World Banks Country Strategy partnership Reports 2010-2014 for Pakistan, research from 2011 reveals how Social Protection projects bring numerous benefits to women and children in vulnerable groups. Programmes that transfer cash to poor women such as the Benazir Income Support Program that gives Rs1,000 Pakistan rupees a month to female heads of poor households have been shown to improve these womens decision-making power. When these women have greater decision-making power, they are more likely to use reproductive health services; moreover, household investments shift from transportation and food to medical care, education, fuel and lighting, and footwear and clothing.
But more needs to be done than just increasing womens representation in parliament. That alone will not be enough, especially if these women are unable to be a catalyst for change that will trickle downwards.
Pakistan: Still one of the worst places in the world to be a woman – The Express Tribune
ISLAMABAD: The mortality rate of children under five years of age stands at 89 deaths per 1,000 live births in Pakistan, and an estimated 460,000 such children die
each year in the country, one of the biggest rates in South Asia.
Around 30 percent of children in Pakistan are chronically malnourished, and 2.1 million babies are born in the country with severe intellectual impairment caused by iodine deficiency.According to a report launched by the Society for the Protection of the Rights
of the Child (SPARC), the recent statistics of the World Health Organization (WHO) are higher, indicating that 33.3 percent of children under five as being underweight.
It is estimated that 35 percent of the diseases that burden children under-five are linked with malnutrition.Talking to APP, Child Rights Coordinator, Shaista Kiran, said the first two years of a childs life were particularly important as optimal nutrition during this period would lead to reduced morbidity and mortality, reduced risk of chronic diseases and better development overall.
According to the UN Convention on the Rights of Child (UNCRC), every infant and child has the right to good nutrition.Globally, 30 percent of children under-five are estimated to be stunted, and 18 percent have low weight for height, mostly as a consequence of poor feeding and repeated infections.
Shaista Kiran said that the government had aimed at ensuring a 100 percent availability of iodized salt in the market by 2015.Recent floods in the country also resulted in the loss of food crops which further worsened the food security situation in addition to increased incidents of water-borne diseases such as diarrhoea, which also contributes to malnourishment.According to the statistics, nearly 126,000 of the total number of children under five years of age affected by floods are at risk of being severely malnourished.
460,000 children under five years of age die annually in Pakistan: report - thenews.com.pk
WOW. Just WOW.
sorry my friend i think that is 58%.
Pakistan: Still one of the worst places in the world to be a woman
According to the World Bank, womens literacy remains low at 42%. The ratio of young literate females to males (age 15-24) is 74.85%.
KARACHI: Gender equalities remain pronounced in Pakistan; in a region that has among the poorest gender equality records in the world. There has been recent progress in increasing the rates of womens political representation thanks to reservation of seats for women in Parliament and local bodies and in the raising the average age of girls at marriage and first birth, both of which are now above the regional average (UNICEF 2011).
Yet, stark gender gaps persist in education, health and across economic sectors. According to the World Bank, womens literacy remains low at 42%. The ratio of young literate females to males (age 15-24) is 74.85%. Only Afghanistan has a lower ratio. In 2008, Pakistans infant mortality rate and percentage of births attended by skilled health staff was worse than the South Asian average (73 vs 59 per 1,000 live births; and 39 vs 42 percent, respectively) ; while its total fertility rate was higher than the regional average (3.9 vs 2.9 births per woman). Thankfully this has fallen since then and now Pakistan has a fertility rate that is lower than most of its neighbours.
Given these challenges to their human capital development, women face severe constraints to their access to services in most sectors, and in their income-earning opportunities. Pakistans female labour force participation is lower than the regional average. The rate of womens borrowing from Microfinance institutions is lower than any other South Asian country, including Afghanistan. Keeping in mind that women make up more than half of Pakistans population, this is a serious economic drawback.
Pakistans Second Poverty Reduction Strategy Paper has recognised that gender disparities pose a critical constraint to achieving country development objectives. The Country Partnership Strategy 2010-13, which is a WB initiative, works to help organise efforts and initiatives that help to restore some of the gender balance. According to the report, it now goes beyond emphasising gender in the context of human development and social protection. This is in part due to the influence of the 2010 Pakistan Gender-Sensitive Portfolio Review, which ascertained the degree to which gender was addressed across sectors in 24 existing and 26 pipeline operations in the World Banks portfolio at the time. The Review found human development sectors to be significantly more advanced than economic sectors in their attention to gender issues and recommended common approaches for economic sectors to improve this situation.
Pakistan is still far from ideal when it comes to addressing gender inequality issues but there are significant efforts on the ground that may have more of an impact in the years to come. For example according to the World Banks Country Strategy partnership Reports 2010-2014 for Pakistan, research from 2011 reveals how Social Protection projects bring numerous benefits to women and children in vulnerable groups. Programmes that transfer cash to poor women such as the Benazir Income Support Program that gives Rs1,000 Pakistan rupees a month to female heads of poor households have been shown to improve these womens decision-making power. When these women have greater decision-making power, they are more likely to use reproductive health services; moreover, household investments shift from transportation and food to medical care, education, fuel and lighting, and footwear and clothing.
But more needs to be done than just increasing womens representation in parliament. That alone will not be enough, especially if these women are unable to be a catalyst for change that will trickle downwards.
Pakistan: Still one of the worst places in the world to be a woman – The Express Tribune