Research and Reflections on Child Wellbeing in Pakistan

Research and Reflections on Child Wellbeing in Pakistan

Abstract / Description

The book explores how early childhood experiences—including nutrition, socio-economic and emotional development, and environmental factors—play a fundamental role in shaping a child’s personality and future potential. With children under the age of 14 accounting for 2.01 billion people—25% of the global population—the subject holds profound global relevance.

Indicators such as the Early Childhood Development Index and key Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) highlight a strong connection between economic growth and the well-being of all age groups. In particular, child well-being emerges as a pressing concern in countries with lower levels of economic development—making this not just a national challenge, but a moral responsibility shared by all.

  • Highlights the nature of the many crises faced by children in Pakistan and underscores the need for urgent intervention
  • Discusses children under 14 years of age in a country which has the second highest number of children in this age group
  • Addresses issues faced by many developing countries and provides the foundation for further research in other countries

Keywords

Child well-being, Investment in human capital, Children in crossfire, Child immunization, Children's education, Indoor air pollution and child wellbeing, Secondhand smoking and acute respiratory infection, Child well-being and paternal substance dependence, Child Marriage and its effect on Maternal and Child Health, Forced spatial displacement and child wellbeing, Children Climate Risk Index

Table of Contents

Front Matter

Pages i-xiv

Introduction

Asma Hyder

Pages 1-4

Transforming Immunization

Faiz Ur Rehman

Pages 5-21

Shaping Children’s Learning Outcomes

Shagufta Shabbar

Pages 23-47

Indoor Air Pollution and Child Wellbeing

Heman Das Lohano

Pages 49-64

Children’s Exposure to Secondhand Smoking and the Incidence of Acute Respiratory Infection

Javeria Younas Abbasi, Shabana Kishwar

Pages 65-78

Children in the Shadow of Drugs- Risks of Paternal Substance Dependence

Ayesha Zia

Pages 79-91

Child Marriage and Its Effect on Maternal and Child Health in Pakistan

Khadija Bari, Fatima Sadik, Neelma Faraz

Pages 93-116

Disrupted Urban Childhoods: Long Term Impacts of Forced Spatial Displacement on Child Wellbeing in Karachi

Adam Abdullah, Soha Macktoom

Pages 117-135

Children Climate Risk Index (CCRI) Across Districts of Pakistan

Ghamz E Ali Siyal

Pages 137-172

Children in Crossfire

Hammad Sarfraz

Pages 173-186

Concluding Remarks: Equalizing Opportunities for Children in Pakistan

Junaid Alam Memon

Pages 187-191

Publication Date

3-29-2025

Faculty / School

School of Economics and Social Sciences (SESS)

Department

Department of Economics

Was this content written or created while at IBA?

Yes

Series

Children’s Well-Being: Indicators and Research

Author Affiliation

  • Dr. Asma Hyder is a Professor and Dean of the School of Economics and Social Sciences at the Institute of Business Administration, Karachi, Pakistan. She is a Research Affiliate at the Population Studies Center at the University of Pennsylvania, Philadelphia, USA. Her research interest focuses on development, including health, the social sector in general, labor market issues and wellbeing. Her major contribution in literature is the empirical investigation of households’ behavior toward labor market decisions and child welfare during climatic and negative economic shocks in developing and poorest societies of the world.

e-ISBN/e-ISSN

978-3-031-82648-1

Rights Information

The Editor(s) (if applicable) and The Author(s), under exclusive license to Springer Nature Switzerland AG 2025

Research and Reflections on Child Wellbeing in Pakistan

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