Protecting children

The heinous rape and murder of a seven year old in Kasur has thrust the issue of child abuse to national attention. The most shocking thing about the Kasur incident was that this was not an isolated incident, in 2017; at least 12 similar incidents were reported in Kasur district alone as per media reports.
However, the problem is much bigger than what has came to light in Kasur. Child abuse is a crime that is being committed across the country and with little action against perpetrators and little acknowledgement of the issue. According to the latest numbers released by Sahil, an organization that works on child protection with a special focus on sexual abuse, a total of 1,764 cases of child abuse were reported from across the country in the first six months of 2017 alone. In 2017, the total number of reported child abuse cases stood at a staggering 4,139, bringing the total number of children being abused in Pakistan per day to 11. The data from Sahil said that out of the total cases of child abuse from January to June 2017, 62 percent were reported from Punjab. 27 percent of cases reported were from Sindh province, while 76, 58, 42, and nine cases reported from Balochistan, FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir respectively.
Moreover, the figures by Sahil are of the reported cases, rights activists consider the actual number of child abuse cases to be much higher. The only way to tackle the issue is to acknowledge the seriousness of the problem. There needs to be an open discussion on the issue. Child protection curriculum should be introduced in all private and government schools. Media also has a vital role in this regard by raising awareness against child abuse. It is also very important that parents realize that they have to talk to their children regarding the issue. Currently the issue of child abuse is considered a taboo topic with little discussion in public domain.
Pakistan has to take emergency steps, from awareness regarding the issue to strengthening the criminal justice and policing system so that the accused don’t walk free. The unfortunate trend of victim blaming is also a major barrier that stops the victims from coming forward.