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This World Children’s Day, Saba Qamar used her platform to highlight children’s rights in Pakistan. Dressed in a blue Unicef shirt, the National Ambassador for Child Rights in Pakistan pleaded with her audience to “come together” to make these rights a reality for every child.

“Every child has a right to learn, to grow up healthy, to live in a safe environment, and to have a voice in the decisions that shape their future,” Qamar said in video posted to her Instagram page.

Pakistan is home to 19 million child brides — the sixth highest globally. More than half of adolescent girls are pregnant before their 18th birthday, which can be life-threatening for both the mother and the child.

Through her video, the Kamli actor urged her audience to “turn Pakistan blue”, a symbolic colour for World Children’s Day to show solidarity, and emphasised that every child should be allowed to have a voice in the decisions that “shape their future”.

In 2024, Unicef appointed Qamar as its first National Ambassador for Child Rights in Pakistan. The announcement was made on International Day of the Girl Child — a day meant to champion girls’ rights and recognise the unique challenges they face around the world.

“It’s an honour to join Unicef. I will echo our shared mission of achieving every right for every child wherever I am,” Qamar said in a press release. “I promise to play my part for the children and young people of Pakistan so that they can dream and have the chance to fulfil their dreams,” she added.

In her role as Unicef Pakistan’s National Ambassador, the Hindi Medium star promised to use her platform to help raise awareness of children’s rights and issues affecting young people, such as child marriage, mental health, lack of education, gender equality, climate change and the impact of violence, exploitation and child poverty.