Level of Child Welfare in Pakistan: An Analysis of MDG2 &4 through Locally Constructed Indices

Author(s) : Dr. Amir Zada Asad, Dr. Muhammad Iqbal

Abstract:

Effectiveness of the instruments and strategies for child welfare in Pakistan has been a big challenge in the face of robust and rampant child abuse in the country. How far these instruments and strategies addressed the situation has been an un-answered question of the first two decades of new millennium. This question has been answered through the analysis of the Millennium Development Goals (MDGs).The main objective of this study was to evaluate child welfare in terms of Pakistan’s achievement in MDG2&4(child-related MDGs) and also in comparison with its neighboring countries like India, Bangladesh and Sri Lanka. Being a literature-based study multiple sources of secondary data were accessed through their websites. The analysis leads us to the fact that child welfare in Pakistan is residual in nature. To double-check the results of the analysis made through locally constructed indices, the findings were triangulated by the In-Depth Interviews (IDIs) of 30 welfare personnel of the country as well as by Child Development Index (CDI), a child-related UN index.