Shehzad Roy – From chart-topping pop hits to championing child protection, he is rewriting what it means to use fame for a greater cause.
If you grew up in Pakistan, chances are Shehzad Roy’s music was part of your teenage years. But while most pop stars fade into nostalgia, Roy has evolved — not into just an activist, but into a relentless advocate for something many still hesitate to talk about: child protection through education. And now, he’s pushing for something that could rewrite the narrative for millions of schoolchildren — Life Skills-Based Education (LSBE). This isn’t just about putting a new subject in textbooks. It’s about arming kids with knowledge that could literally save their lives.
Shehzad Roy – From Guitar Strings to Policy Strings
Over the years, Roy’s transition from pop icon to policy influencer has been anything but performative. Through Zindagi Trust, he has worked directly with public schools to improve infrastructure, teacher training, and curriculum content. He helped ban corporal punishment in schools, advocated for curriculum reform, and championed girl’s education long before it became a headline trend.
But now, he’s taken it to the Supreme Court — quite literally. Shehzad Roy is one of the petitioners asking the apex court to order the nationwide inclusion of LSBE in schools. And let’s be real: this is the conversation Pakistan’s been avoiding for far too long.
Why LSBE Is the Real Deal
LSBE includes everything from understanding safe and unsafe touch to bodily autonomy, consent, puberty, and how to seek help. It’s the kind of education that prepares children for the real world — one where abuse, shame, and silence still hold power. Roy’s argument is simple: if children are not taught about abuse, they can’t name it, can’t report it, and can’t protect themselves. And the consequences of that silence? Lifelong trauma, stunted growth, broken trust — the kind of damage that no exam score can measure.
His petition also calls on the government to include groups like Aahung and Zindagi Trust in designing and delivering this curriculum. Because as he puts it: “Too often we hear that life skills are being taught — but the real topics are missing.”
Sindh Is Doing It. Why Isn’t the Rest of Pakistan?
Thanks to Roy’s advocacy, Sindh is already ahead of the curve. Thousands of schoolkids in the Pakistani province of Sindh now know what inappropriate touch is, who to talk to, and how to seek help. And with over 90% of abuse cases being committed by someone the child knows — this knowledge isn’t optional. It’s essential.
Still, in the rest of the country, LSBE is patchy at best, and non-existent at worst. Some teachers are undertrained, some topics are skipped entirely, and worse — many schools avoid the subject altogether, hiding behind “cultural sensitivity”.
But what’s more sensitive than the safety of a child?
Let’s face it: in a country where young people make up the majority of the population, and where sexual abuse is either whispered about or brushed under the carpet, LSBE is a game changer. It could break generational cycles of silence, shame, and helplessness. And that’s where Shehzad Roy’s work shines — he’s not here to just change policy. He’s here to change the present and future of generations of young people who deserve a better today and tomorrow.
Sources: Dawn
