This paper examines the legal framework governing adoption in Pakistan, highlighting how Islamic principles and the Guardians and Wards Act of 1890 shape the balance between child welfare and parental rights. Through a comparative analysis with international standards, it identifies gaps in the current system and proposes reforms to better protect children’s best interests while respecting cultural and religious values.

This study reviews Pakistan’s legal and policy responses to child abuse, noting that while comprehensive laws exist, enforcement remains fragmented and inconsistent across provinces. It calls for systemic reforms—including centralized coordination, victim-centered services, mandatory reporting, and stronger prevention measures—to move from reactive responses toward a sustainable, multi-sectoral child protection framework.

Bullying in Pakistani orphanages is a serious but understudied issue that threatens children’s physical and psychological well-being. This study surveyed 600 adolescents aged 10–19 from orphanages in Gujrat, Gujranwala, and Lahore to examine the effects of bullying.

In this editorial, Ian Forber-Pratt, editor of this tenth anniversary edition of the Institutionalised Children Explorations and Beyond, gives an of alternative care in Bangladesh, India, Maldives, Nepal, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and Bhutan. 

The death of 10-year-old Fatima Furiro would have passed sadly but quietly had it not been for the two graphic videos that turned up on social media. The little girl’s body was this week exhumed for a postmortem examination, days after the videos mysteriously appeared online.

This research article explores the situation of children in alternative or institutional care in Pakistan, aiming to shed light on the challenges they face, interventions implemented to address their needs, and the associated laws and policy implications.

This study involved a qualitative design with a thematic analysis approach, consisting of focus group discussions with 14 caregivers working in Pakistani orphanages who had participated in Group Triple P Parenting program.

The WHO South-East Asia Regional Office in collaboration with UNICEF organized a 3-day virtual meeting from 27 to 29 April, 2021.

Present study aims to explore factors responsible for the current state of affairs for children living and growing up in institutions in Punjab province, Pakistan by getting views of both practitioners and the beneficiaries.

This article examines the extent to which two key child rights principles enshrined in the Convention have been incorporated into the domestic law of seven South Asian countries: (a) the obligation to undertake active measures to prevent the unnecessary separation of children from their families and (b) the placing of a child in alternative care as a measure of last resort.