In Pakistan, children’s voices are often absent from the decision -making process for children’s rights, with decisions typically shaped by experts, decision makers and activists.
This adult -centric approach, experts, warn, fail to reflect children’s lived experiences and needs, which undermines both the relevance and effectiveness of policies intended to protect them.
“When policies are designed exclusively from an adult perspective, they are often not in line with children’s age, interests and needs,” said an expert on children’s rights. “This results in low commitment and weak implementation.”
However, promising signs of change emerge. A remarkable example is 16-year-old Abihah Batool, a student from Lahore and an active member of a child forum.
She recently represented Pakistan at the United Nations annual children’s rights convention in Geneva, where she advocated for a comprehensive social protection program for children.
She has also met with the Punjab Minister for Human Rights, President of Child Protection and Welfare Agency, and a member of the National Commission for Human Rights (NCHR) to present a charter of demands developed by children.
“From schools to national consultations and even global platforms, children in Pakistan have shown that they can speak with insight, sincerity and moral courage – if they only get the chance,” Abihah said. She emphasized that social stigma, institutional weaknesses and tokenistic inclusion continue to prevent the participation of meaningful children.
Ayesha Raza Khan, chairman of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC), shared that Pakistan is a leader in the South Asian region by including two children as members of the Commission.
“We have also set up an advisory panel for children with representation from all over the country,” she noted. “It is important that when we talk about child protection and rights, we start listening to children themselves.
Their perspectives must be taken seriously. “She pointed to a recent Supreme Court case of custody as a landmark where the court for the first time sought children’s preferences about which parent they wanted to live with after separation.
Iftikhar Mubarak, CEO of search for justice, highlighted Article 12 of the UN Convention on the Rights of the Child, which guarantees any child the right to express their views on issues that affect them and have these views taken seriously.
“This means to create safe, inclusive and effective platforms where children can talk about critical issues such as education, violence, environmental change, gender equality and mental health.”
Despite these developments, children’s protection institutions all over Pakistan – including in Punjab – are dominated by adult professionals with little or no representation of children themselves.
Experts claim that this exclusion not only prevents children’s development in trust, leadership and civil responsibility, but also hides serious issues such as sexual abuse and domestic violence.
“When children are excluded from shaping the policies that affect them, they feel alienated from society, which can lead to long -term inequality,” experts warn.
They encourage politicians to ensure a meaningful inclusion of children as a basic principle of building effective, inclusive and sustainable child protection frameworks.
