Eight million kids go hungry in Pakistan

KARACHI - Eight million children in Pakistan are facing food shortages and 23 million kids are deprived of basic education, an official said here.

An adviser to the Sindh chief minister, Sharmila Farooqi, said eight million children went hungry and about 3.5 million children were compelled to do labour.

Speaking at a presentation on child rights, she said: “There are more than 10,000 street children under the age of 15 in Karachi while over 4,500 children are in prisons.”

Pakistan has a population of 160 million.

The Daily Times quoted her as saying that the devastating floods this year affected about seven million people in Sindh, 30 percent of who were children.

“Flood-affected children are facing problems in getting medical treatment and education because many of the schools in interior Sindh were damaged by the floods,” she said.