2,227 minors’ victims of sexual abuse in first half of 2023

LAHORE : A staggering 2,227 children fell victim to sexual abuse within the country during the initial six months of the current year, according to a recent report published by Sahil, a non-profit organization dedicated to child protection.

The data collected by Sahil, primarily from media reports, brings to light a harrowing reality. On an average, a distressing 12 children in Pakistan experienced sexual violence every day from January through June in 2023.

The report explicitly details that among the victims, 1,207 were girls and 1,020 were boys, underscoring that this issue transcends gender boundaries.

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Sahil’s report goes on to emphasize that the organization’s data might only scratch the surface of the actual situation, with countless cases potentially going unreported or unnoticed.

In a disheartening comparison, Sahil’s previous year’s report documented a total of 4,253 cases of child abuse, among which 2,123 were of a sexual nature. These figures draw attention to the persistence of this grave concern.

Ansar Sajjad Bhatti, the provincial coordinator of Sahil, provided further insights into the report’s findings. Bhatti highlighted that within the first half of the year, four incidents of child marriages came to light, along with a case of abduction involving a minor girl. Shockingly, even educational institutions such as madrassas were not immune to this scourge, with 22 boys and girls falling prey to sexual violence within their premises.

Bhatti’s revelations extended to a grim reality that children encountered sexual abuse across diverse settings, including hospitals, hotels, cars, clinics, colleges, factories, prisons, police stations, wedding halls, cemeteries, and many more locations. The alarming breadth of these incidents underscores the pervasive nature of the issue.

According to the report, the province of Punjab recorded the highest number of cases of child sexual abuse, with 1,648 instances reported. Sindh followed with 314 cases, Islamabad with 161, Balochistan with 24, and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and Azad Jammu and Kashmir each reporting four cases.

Of the total incidents of child sexual abuse during the first half of 2023, a staggering 1,969 were reported at police stations, leaving eight unreported. Regrettably, the report also highlights that 17 incidents went unreported by the police, while 233 were inadequately covered in newspapers, lacking comprehensive details.

Within Lahore, a concerning 96 cases of child sexual abuse were reported during the initial six months of the year. Additionally, the report underscores 53 incidents of child pornography within the same period, further underscoring the alarming vulnerability of children to sexual exploitation.

Tragically, the Sahil report reveals that between January and June 2023, 963 incidents exposed children to life-threatening situations, leading to the deaths of 760 minors. Among these fatalities, 265 were due to drowning, 148 were the result of murder, and 144 were killed in accidents.

In response to these distressing revelations, Sahil proposes the establishment of a child safety cell in every district of Punjab as a preventive measure and to provide free support to children in need. The report also calls for a comprehensive awareness campaign designed to shield children from the scourge of sexual violence, emphasizing the necessity of an effective strategy to safeguard their well-being. Laws should be made to protect children and further improvements should be carried out within the existing ones.

It added that the implementation of the enacted laws should be ensured.

Sahil suggested that effective support systems should be established for the rehabilitation of children affected by sexual violence.

It added that child safety messages should be incorporated in schools’ curriculums.