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Express Tribune
10-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Statute and salvation
Listen to article In a moment of historic magnitude and noble resolve, the Parliament of Pakistan has enacted the Islamabad Capital Territory Child Marriage Restraint Act 2025, a legislative triumph in the pursuit of justice, equality and preservation of childhood. By raising the minimum legal age of marriage to eighteen years for both young men and women within the federal capital, this enlightened decree supplants the antiquated ordinance of 1929, a relic of colonial jurisprudence. This bill, advanced with conviction by the member of the National Assembly, Ms Sharmila Faruqui, and championed with eloquence in the Senate by Senator Sherry Rehman, met stiff resistance from conservative quarters who claimed its incompatibility with religious and cultural tenets. Yet, the force of reason triumphed, notably drawing strength from the province of Sindh, where a similar statute has withstood the test of time since 2014. Even the Council of Islamic Ideology, the highest body of religious deliberation in the land, had previously given its assent to Sindh's reform, thereby rendering obsolete the theological objections to the federal measure. Under the auspices of the 2025 Act, any nuptial arrangement involving individuals below the age of maturity is henceforth unlawful within the jurisdiction of Islamabad. Nikah registrars are now duty-bound to authenticate the ages of both parties through national identity documents issued by NADRA. Those who dare defy the law — be they officiants, adult men preying upon minors, or conspirators enabling such unions — shall face stringent punishment, including imprisonment of up to three years and pecuniary penalties scaling to one million rupees. More significantly, the law designates all conjugal relations with a minor as statutory rape, regardless of consent or marital sanction. This legislative deliverance is not merely timely; it is imperative. According to the 2023 Demographic and Health Survey, nearly 28.9 per cent of Pakistani girls are wed before they attain the age of eighteen, while 4 per cent are forced into matrimony before the tender age of fifteen. Such unions, forged in coercion and cloaked in custom, breed domestic violence, maternal mortality and educational deprivation. Though limited in geographical application, the reverberations of this statute are felt far and wide. It heralds a new era wherein the voice of conscience may triumph over the outdated traditions. Provinces such as Punjab, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan, where child marriage remains alarmingly prevalent, must now reflect upon their own legislative inertia and consider whether silence in the face of national reform is a tenable position. A consensus across the republic must now be forged. The provinces must harmonise their legal frameworks with the capital's enlightened statute, thereby affording equal protection to every child beneath the crescent and star. The state must invest in grand campaigns to enlighten families and communities about the grievous costs of premature marriage. The machinery of justice must be fortified with special courts and trained officers capable of swift intervention and resolute enforcement. Moreover, the nation must extend its hand to those vulnerable girls who stand at the precipice of such fates, offering them the sanctuaries of education, psychological support and shelter. Community leaders should emphasise the importance of every child's dignity and protection The latest turn in the saga of the bill reveals that the Council of Islamic Ideology has challenged the Act as un-Islamic, and a petition in the Federal Shariat Court now seeks its annulment on constitutional and religious grounds. The bill's landmark move to ban child marriage and set the legal age at 18 marks a major victory for child rights yet faces constitutional challenges and implementation hurdles that will determine its true effectiveness.
The Citizen
20-05-2025
- Health
- The Citizen
Know your numbers: Hypertension poses a silent threat to millions
Know your numbers: Hypertension poses a silent threat to millions World Hypertension Day, observed annually on May 17, is a global reminder of the silent but deadly condition affecting millions. Marking its 20th anniversary this year under the theme Measure Your Blood Pressure Accurately, Control It, Live Longer!, the day encourages awareness, prevention and the control of high blood pressure. Hypertension, often referred to as high blood pressure, occurs when the force of blood against your artery walls is consistently too high. 'Unmanaged hypertension is very dangerous,' warns Dr Deepak Patel, a clinical specialist at Discovery Vitality, 'because it leads to aneurysms, strokes, kidney failure, blindness and cognitive impairment.' This is because, over time, the increased pressure damages blood vessels and forces the heart to work harder to circulate blood, potentially resulting in life-threatening conditions like heart disease and heart attacks. One serious concern with hypertension is that it often presents without noticeable symptoms. When they do occur, they might include headaches, shortness of breath, dizziness, chest pain, heart palpitations and nose bleeds. These are warning signs that the heart and blood vessels are under severe strain. Patel explains that hypertension contributes to atherosclerosis, a thickening and hardening of the arteries that narrows blood flow. 'Atherosclerosis is the leading cause of coronary artery disease (heart attack), strokes and kidney failure,' he says. SA is in the danger zone The World Health Organisation reports that 10 million people die prematurely annually due to hypertension. This year, an estimated 1.56 billion adults globally will live with the condition. In SA, the figures are staggering. A 2016 Demographic and Health Survey found that 46% of women and 44% of men aged 15 and over suffered from hypertension. Even more concerning is that nearly half of South Africans with high blood pressure have never been tested and are unaware of their condition. What causes hypertension? There are two main types of hypertension. • Primary hypertension develops gradually over time and has no identifiable cause but is influenced by genetics and lifestyle; • Secondary hypertension stems from underlying conditions like kidney disease, vascular disease or tumours. Risk factors you can control Many risk factors linked to high blood pressure are lifestyle-related and preventable. The Mayo Clinic identifies the following as major contributors: • Age: Risk increases as you get older, particularly after age 64; • Race: People of African heritage are more likely to develop hypertension earlier and suffer complications such as stroke and kidney failure; • Obesity: More body weight means more blood is needed to supply tissues, raising blood pressure; • Family history: Genetics play a significant role in risk; • Physical inactivity: Lack of exercise leads to higher heart rates and increased arterial pressure; • High stress levels: Chronic stress and unhealthy coping mechanisms like overeating, smoking, or drinking can raise blood pressure; • Smoking: Tobacco damages the arteries and elevates blood pressure; • Excessive alcohol: Drinking too much, especially regularly, strains the heart; • Poor diet: A high sodium intake causes the body to retain fluid, increasing pressure; • Chronic illnesses: Conditions like kidney disease, diabetes, and sleep apnoea also elevate risk. The bottom line Hypertension might be silent, but it's far from harmless. Regular screening, healthy living and awareness are crucial to combat this condition. As World Hypertension Day reminds us: Accurately measure your blood pressure, control it and live longer. Knowing your numbers could save your life. At Caxton, we employ humans to generate daily fresh news, not AI intervention. Happy reading!
Khaleej Times
09-03-2025
- Health
- Khaleej Times
Women spearhead maternal health revolution in Bangladesh
Young Bangladeshi mother Mafia Akhter's decision to give birth at home and without a doctor left her grieving over her firstborn's lifeless body and vowing never to repeat the ordeal. "My first baby died," the 25-year-old told AFP. "I told myself that if I didn't go to the clinic it could happen again, and that I wouldn't be able to bear it." She gave birth again last month at a medical centre in a village hemmed in by rice paddy and rivers, far from the nearest hospital and without the oversight of an obstetrician. But this time her child survived -- something she credits to Nargis Akhter, one of the thousands of Bangladeshi women working as "skilled birth attendants" to help mothers through delivery. "Giving birth is the most important and critical moment for a woman," Nargis -- no relation to her patient -- told AFP. "I am lucky and proud to be able to be with them at that moment." Nargis was speaking to AFP after her routine post-natal consultation with Mafia, who was cradling her young daughter during her return to the spartan village health centre where she gave birth. Skilled birth attendants have been a fixture of Bangladesh's maternal health policy for two decades and are an important pillar of the South Asian nation's underfunded health system. More than 30 per cent of Bangladeshi women nationally give birth without the assistance of a doctor, nurse or midwife, according to government data from 2022 Demographic and Health Survey. Birth attendants like Nargis, 25, are given several months training and put to work plugging this gap by serving in a jack-of-all-trades role akin to a cross between a nurse and a doula. The use of skilled birth attendants has coincided with dramatic improvements to maternal health outcomes in Bangladesh. Over the past 20 years, the mortality rate for pregnant women has fallen by 72 percent, to 123 deaths per 100,000 births and babies by 69 percent to 20 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). "Many women do not have access to quality care, so I feel useful by helping them," said Nargis, who in her five years as a birth attendant has overseen more than 400 deliveries. "Almost no women die in childbirth here anymore," she added. "For me, that's the most important thing." - 'It takes time' - Besides helping with deliveries, birth attendants will screen pregnant women weeks ahead of their due date to refer high-risk pregnancies to hospitals further afield. For women in Biswambharpur, the remote district that Mafia and Nargis call home, complicated cases will wind up in a district hospital struggling with inadequate resources. "We never leave a patient without care, but they sometimes have to wait a long time for treatment," said Abdullahel Maruf, the hospital's chief doctor. "Plus, we can't change the geography. In an emergency, it takes time to get to us." Biswambharpur is lashed by monsoon rains for months each year that make travel difficult, and a lack of paved roads mean that many of its villages are inaccesible by the district's only ambulance, even during the drier months. Maruf's hospital sees up to 500 patients each day and still has around eight women die in labour each year -- fatalities he says are avoidable, given that his emergency department lacks an obstetrician and backup surgeon. "We could easily reduce this figure if we had all the required staff," he said. Maruf said that mortality rates had nonetheless improved by an awareness campaign encouraging women to give birth at local health clinics rather than at home. "This is our greatest victory," he said. Bangladesh spends only 0.8 per cent of its GDP on public health, a figure that Maya Vandenent of the UN children's agency said risked stalling the country's improvements to maternal health. "Huge progress has been made," she told AFP. "But the movement is slowing down." Sayedur Rahman, a physician overseeing Bangladesh's health ministry, freely concedes that more health funding is far from the top of the agenda of the government he serves. The country is still reeling from the dramatic ouster of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina last August during a student-led national uprising. Rahman is part of an interim administration tasked with steering democratic reforms ahead of fresh elections, and he laments that these priorities will leave others in the health sector unaddressed. "We need resources to create a national ambulance network, recruit more anesthesiologists, open operating rooms," Rahman told AFP. pa/gle/dhw/hmn
Yahoo
07-03-2025
- Health
- Yahoo
Women spearhead maternal health revolution in Bangladesh
Young Bangladeshi mother Mafia Akhter's decision to give birth at home and without a doctor left her grieving over her firstborn's lifeless body and vowing never to repeat the ordeal. "My first baby died," the 25-year-old told AFP. "I told myself that if I didn't go to the clinic it could happen again, and that I wouldn't be able to bear it." She gave birth again last month at a medical centre in a village hemmed in by rice paddy and rivers, far from the nearest hospital and without the oversight of an obstetrician. But this time her child survived -- something she credits to Nargis Akhter, one of the thousands of Bangladeshi women working as "skilled birth attendants" to help mothers through delivery. "Giving birth is the most important and critical moment for a woman," Nargis -- no relation to her patient -- told AFP. "I am lucky and proud to be able to be with them at that moment." Nargis was speaking to AFP after her routine post-natal consultation with Mafia, who was cradling her young daughter during her return to the spartan village health centre where she gave birth. Skilled birth attendants have been a fixture of Bangladesh's maternal health policy for two decades and are an important pillar of the South Asian nation's underfunded health system. More than 30 percent of Bangladeshi women nationally give birth without the assistance of a doctor, nurse or midwife, according to government data from 2022 Demographic and Health Survey. Birth attendants like Nargis, 25, are given several months training and put to work plugging this gap by serving in a jack-of-all-trades role akin to a cross between a nurse and a doula. The use of skilled birth attendants has coincided with dramatic improvements to maternal health outcomes in Bangladesh. Over the past 20 years, the mortality rate for pregnant women has fallen by 72 percent, to 123 deaths per 100,000 births and babies by 69 percent to 20 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). "Many women do not have access to quality care, so I feel useful by helping them," said Nargis, who in her five years as a birth attendant has overseen more than 400 deliveries. "Almost no women die in childbirth here anymore," she added. "For me, that's the most important thing." - 'It takes time' - Besides helping with deliveries, birth attendants will screen pregnant women weeks ahead of their due date to refer high-risk pregnancies to hospitals further afield. For women in Biswambharpur, the remote district that Mafia and Nargis call home, complicated cases will wind up in a district hospital struggling with inadequate resources. "We never leave a patient without care, but they sometimes have to wait a long time for treatment," said Abdullahel Maruf, the hospital's chief doctor. "Plus, we can't change the geography. In an emergency, it takes time to get to us." Biswambharpur is lashed by monsoon rains for months each year that make travel difficult, and a lack of paved roads mean that many of its villages are inaccesible by the district's only ambulance, even during the drier months. Maruf's hospital sees up to 500 patients each day and still has around eight women die in labour each year -- fatalities he says are avoidable, given that his emergency department lacks an obstetrician and backup surgeon. "We could easily reduce this figure if we had all the required staff," he said. Maruf said that mortality rates had nonetheless improved by an awareness campaign encouraging women to give birth at local health clinics rather than at home. "This is our greatest victory," he said. Bangladesh spends only 0.8 percent of its GDP on public health, a figure that Maya Vandenent of the UN children's agency said risked stalling the country's improvements to maternal health. "Huge progress has been made," she told AFP. "But the movement is slowing down." Sayedur Rahman, a physician overseeing Bangladesh's health ministry, freely concedes that more health funding is far from the top of the agenda of the government he serves. The country is still reeling from the dramatic ouster of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina last August during a student-led national uprising. Rahman is part of an interim administration tasked with steering democratic reforms ahead of fresh elections, and he laments that these priorities will leave others in the health sector unaddressed. "We need resources to create a national ambulance network, recruit more anesthesiologists, open operating rooms," Rahman told AFP. "Our financial constraints will directly impact maternal and neonatal mortality rates." pa/gle/dhw/hmn
Arab News
07-03-2025
- Health
- Arab News
Women spearhead maternal health revolution in Bangladesh
BISWAMBHARPUR: Young Bangladeshi mother Mafia Akhter's decision to give birth at home and without a doctor left her grieving over her firstborn's lifeless body and vowing never to repeat the ordeal. 'My first baby died,' the 25-year-old told AFP. 'I told myself that if I didn't go to the clinic it could happen again, and that I wouldn't be able to bear it.' She gave birth again last month at a medical center in a village hemmed in by rice paddy and rivers, far from the nearest hospital and without the oversight of an obstetrician. But this time her child survived — something she credits to Nargis Akhter, one of the thousands of Bangladeshi women working as 'skilled birth attendants' to help mothers through delivery. 'Giving birth is the most important and critical moment for a woman,' Nargis — no relation to her patient — told AFP. 'I am lucky and proud to be able to be with them at that moment.' Nargis was speaking to AFP after her routine post-natal consultation with Mafia, who was cradling her young daughter during her return to the spartan village health center where she gave birth. Skilled birth attendants have been a fixture of Bangladesh's maternal health policy for two decades and are an important pillar of the South Asian nation's underfunded health system. More than 30 percent of Bangladeshi women nationally give birth without the assistance of a doctor, nurse or midwife, according to government data from 2022 Demographic and Health Survey. Birth attendants like Nargis, 25, are given several months training and put to work plugging this gap by serving in a jack-of-all-trades role akin to a cross between a nurse and a doula. The use of skilled birth attendants has coincided with dramatic improvements to maternal health outcomes in Bangladesh. Over the past 20 years, the mortality rate for pregnant women has fallen by 72 percent, to 123 deaths per 100,000 births and babies by 69 percent to 20 deaths per 100,000 births, according to the World Health Organization (WHO). 'Many women do not have access to quality care, so I feel useful by helping them,' said Nargis, who in her five years as a birth attendant has overseen more than 400 deliveries. 'Almost no women die in childbirth here anymore,' she added. 'For me, that's the most important thing.' Besides helping with deliveries, birth attendants will screen pregnant women weeks ahead of their due date to refer high-risk pregnancies to hospitals further afield. For women in Biswambharpur, the remote district that Mafia and Nargis call home, complicated cases will wind up in a district hospital struggling with inadequate resources. 'We never leave a patient without care, but they sometimes have to wait a long time for treatment,' said Abdullahel Maruf, the hospital's chief doctor. 'Plus, we can't change the geography. In an emergency, it takes time to get to us.' Biswambharpur is lashed by monsoon rains for months each year that make travel difficult, and a lack of paved roads mean that many of its villages are inaccesible by the district's only ambulance, even during the drier months. Maruf's hospital sees up to 500 patients each day and still has around eight women die in labor each year — fatalities he says are avoidable, given that his emergency department lacks an obstetrician and backup surgeon. 'We could easily reduce this figure if we had all the required staff,' he said. Maruf said that mortality rates had nonetheless improved by an awareness campaign encouraging women to give birth at local health clinics rather than at home. 'This is our greatest victory,' he said. Bangladesh spends only 0.8 percent of its GDP on public health, a figure that Maya Vandenent of the UN children's agency said risked stalling the country's improvements to maternal health. 'Huge progress has been made,' she told AFP. 'But the movement is slowing down.' Sayedur Rahman, a physician overseeing Bangladesh's health ministry, freely concedes that more health funding is far from the top of the agenda of the government he serves. The country is still reeling from the dramatic ouster of autocratic ex-premier Sheikh Hasina last August during a student-led national uprising. Rahman is part of an interim administration tasked with steering democratic reforms ahead of fresh elections, and he laments that these priorities will leave others in the health sector unaddressed. 'We need resources to create a national ambulance network, recruit more anesthesiologists, open operating rooms,' Rahman told AFP. 'Our financial constraints will directly impact maternal and neonatal mortality rates.'
