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Is an end to child marriage within reach?

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Despite witnessing a steady decline in child marriage during the last decade, multiple crises including conflict, climate shocks, and the ongoing fallout from the coronavirus pandemic are threatening to reverse hard-earned gains, warned the United Nations Children’s Fund (UNICEF).

In its latest report — Is an End to Child Marriage within Reach? Latest trends and future prospects — Unicef said that one in five young women aged 20 to 24, were married as children, versus nearly one in four a decade ago.

“The world is engulfed by crises on top of crises that are crushing the hopes and dreams of vulnerable children, especially girls who should be students, not brides,” Unicef Executive Director Catherine Russell said in a statement.

“Health and economic crises, escalating armed conflicts, and the ravaging effects of climate change are forcing families to seek a false sense of refuge in child marriage. We need to do everything in our power to ensure that their rights to an education and empowered lives are secured,” she added.

Girls who marry in childhood face immediate and lifelong consequences. They are less likely to remain in school, and face an increased risk of early pregnancy, in turn increasing the risk of child and maternal health complications and mortality, Unicef notes.

The practice can also isolate girls from family and friends, and exclude them from participating in their communities, taking a heavy toll on their mental health and well-being.

The report cites global progress, driven predominantly by a decline in India, though this country is still home to the largest number of child brides worldwide.

Progress is also evident in other contexts, including in populous countries where the practice has historically been common, such as Bangladesh and Ethiopia, as well as in smaller countries with lower levels of child marriage that are moving closer to elimination, such as Maldives and Rwanda, the analysis says.

The experiences of these countries illustrate that progress is possible in a variety of settings, Unicef said.

Still, they tend to share common threads, including improvements in economic development, poverty reduction, access to employment and educational attainment at the secondary school level.

Here are key facts about child marriage in South Asia:

  •  Around one in four young women in South Asia were first married or in union before their 18th birthday;
  •  Child brides in South Asia are more likely to live in poor households, have less education and reside in rural areas;
  • Three in four child brides in the region give birth while they are still adolescents;
  • The vast majority of child brides in South Asia are out of school, and
  • South Asia leads the world in progress on reducing child marriage.

Worldwide, conflict, climate-related disasters, and the ongoing impacts of COVID-19 – especially rising poverty, income shocks, and school dropout – are helping to increase the drivers of child marriage while also making it difficult for girls to access health care, education, social services, and community support that protect them from child marriage, the report says.

As a result, girls living in fragile settings are twice as likely to become child brides as the average girl globally, it notes.

For every ten-fold increase in conflict-related deaths, there is a seven per cent increase in the number of child marriages. At the same time, extreme weather events driven by climate change increase a girl’s risk, with every 10 per cent deviation in rainfall connected to around a 1 per cent increase in the prevalence of child marriage.

Precious gains to end child marriage in the past decade are also being threatened by the ongoing impacts of COVID-19, the analysis warns. It is estimated that the pandemic has already cut the number of child marriages that could have been averted since 2020, by one-quarter.

“We’ve proven that progress to end child marriage is possible. It requires unwavering support for vulnerable girls and families,” added Ms. Russell. “We must focus on keeping girls in school and making sure they have economic opportunities.”

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Weather update: Lahore and other Punjabi cities are expected to have rain.

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According to the Met Department, Islamabad and the surrounding areas will get partly overcast weather with a risk of rain.

There will be a brief break from the dry weather in some places due to light rain, a representative said.

Parts of Punjab, however, are probably going to continue to have fog and pollution. Heavy haze and fog are predicted in Sargodha, Sheikhupura, Faisalabad, Multan, and Rahim Yar Khan, while major towns impacted include Lahore, Kasur, Okara, Sialkot, Hafizabad, Narowal, and Gujranwala.

Because visibility may be poor in some places, residents and travelers have been warned to exercise caution.

The prognosis also suggests that places like Lahore, Attock, Murree, and Rawalpindi may get overnight rain. Additionally, northern regions including Chitral, Dir, Swat, Kohistan, Peshawar, and Kohat are predicted to see rainfall.

With no notable change anticipated in the upcoming days, Sindh and Balochistan, on the other hand, are likely to continue to see hot and dry weather.

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14 are detained by Punjab police in an anti-smog operation.

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14 people were detained and 91 FIRs were lodged in the last 24 hours, according to a Punjab police spokeswoman.

Furthermore, for failing to follow the SOPs, 458 people received fines totaling 8.28 lacs, and 33 more received warnings.

According to the spokeswoman, 359 cases involving smoke-emitting cars and 38 reports of crop residue burning were reported.

In addition, there were 24 other recorded breaches, 27 pertaining to brick kilns, and 3 cases of industrial activity infractions.

There are 2627 cases against the 2161 people who were arrested for violating government SOPs.

21924 people have been fined more than 5 crore 9 lacs, according to the Punjab police.

An increased crackdown has been ordered by the Inspector General of Police (IG) to shield the public from smog.

Sardar Saleem Haider Khan, the governor of Punjab, has also called for the province to declare an emergency due to the deteriorating smog.

According to the governor, air pollution in the majority of the province’s districts has gotten out of hand. “There are a lot of people who are ill and getting admitted to hospitals,” he stated.

According to Sardar Saleem Haider, closing educational institutions, entertainment parks, and colleges couldn’t provide fruitful outcomes. “Traders oppose markets being closed by 8:00 PM.”

He said that majority of Punjab’s districts and Lahore are experiencing an increase in pollution. He suggested declaring a short-term emergency to stop smog.

The governor went on to say, “To control the smog, the institutions must agree.”

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41.91 million Train travel by Pakistanis in 2023–2024

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Around 41.91 million people rode trains in 2023–2024, according to Pakistan Railways, an increase of 6.51 million from the 35.40 million passengers in 2022–2023.

In fiscal year 2023-24, passenger earnings remained at Rs. 47.712 billion, exceeding the budgetary objective by Rs. 8.712 billion, according to figures supplied by Pakistan Railways. Additionally, earnings have increased by Rs. 13.799 billion more than they did in the preceding fiscal year, 2022–2023.

The report also showed that in fiscal year 2023-24, the total revenue from other sources, including scrap, property and land, military traffic, and freight, was Rs. 39.803 billion.

The administrators of Pakistan Railways are optimistic that a further increase in railway passenger volume is in store for the coming year.

“The department has made special arrangements to facilitate passengers at stations and in trains en route, including modern dining cars, mobile charging sockets in coaches, and water dispensers in coaches to provide passengers with clean drinking water,” the statement continued.

The Pakistan Railways department has also constructed information desks to assist and guide passengers, digital display boards to show train arrivals and departures, ticket vending machines (TVM) to sell tickets, and ramps and wheelchairs for those with disabilities.

Pakistan Railways is implementing various measures to increase train punctuality, including removing speed restrictions through special track maintenance, improving the signaling system through computerized interlocking and solar system installation, removing locomotive failures through timely maintenance, and introducing new passenger coaches.

In order to handle passenger complaints, the department has set up a cutting-edge call center under the Railway Automated Booking and Travelling Assistance (RABTA) program. In addition, a complaint register is available at stations and on trains, and passengers can file their grievances online at Pakistan Railways.

Contractors who are discovered to be selling inferior goods face fines and warnings. The contractor’s contract with Pakistan Railways is terminated when three fines are received,” it continued.

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