Doomed lives

The results of the National Nutritional Survey for 2018, which were formally announced by the government of Sindh for the province on Wednesday, bring terrible news. The figures should make us question our priorities, policies and primary concerns. Results for the other provinces are awaited. In Sindh, out of every 10 children under the age of 5, five are stunted and two suffer from wasting. Stunting means a failure to reach expected height for age while wasting refers to a failure to gain expected weight. The survey, based on nearly 19,000 households across the province, focuses on children, adolescent girls and women of childbearing age as a means to gather relevant data. Amongst the findings are more alarming figures related to water quality, hygiene, sanitation, food security and disability among children. Forty percent of teenage girls in Sindh were found to be anaemic and over 10 percent of children between the ages of two and five suffered from functional disability. While Unicef officials, members of the Sindh administration and other experts involved in the study have pledged to help remedy the situation, the question is how we reached such a point. In the past, other parts of the country have also been found to suffer similar misery though malnutrition in Sindh has been recorded at the highest level anywhere in the country.

The fact is that we are literally condemning our children virtually from the moment they are born, by failing to provide them adequate nutrition. Nationally, almost 50 percent of children are also reported to be stunted. Experts say stunting often goes along with inadequate brain development and major health issues. While we have many issues that need to be tackled, the focus of policymakers in Sindh – and also at the national level – should be directed at how to bring enough food into households. It is unfortunate that too many of us think little of the fact that virtually all the children in our country and a very large number of women and girls are literally starving before our eyes. The problem has persisted for years. We need to find solutions. No matter what its other achievements, a nation that fails to feed its people and offer them basic security of life cannot call itself successful or a place that is safe for all its citizens.