Daily Times

The most heinous crime is the forced loss of dignity and respect of a child who cannot be rehabilitated into mainstream society, which abhors acts of sodomy and rape. Yet, despite this abhorrence, acts of pedophilia are very common, even committed in the name of tradition. The laws regarding pedophilia are very vague, hence no judicial action takes place, as it should in the interest of children, who remain vulnerable to the powerful perpetrators of crimes against their innocence.

The Criminal Law Amendment Act (2009) defines sexual abuse (not specifically referring to children or minors) as follows: “Whoever employs, uses, forces, persuades, induces, entices, or coerces any person to engage in, or assist any other person to engage in, any obscene or sexually explicit conduct or simulation of such conduct for the purpose of producing a visual depiction of such conduct, either independently or in conjunction with other acts, with or without consent, shall constitute an offence of sexual abuse.” This law does not explicitly refer to coercion against children, who deserve to be recognised as victims of sexual abuse.

Child abuse is not recognised as abuse by some traditional interpretations. For example, underage marriages are a common phenomenon in our society, without taking into consideration that the children are not fully developed and intercourse can cause physical damage. The resolution passed in parliament against child marriages under the Prohibition of Child Marriages Act was considered un-Islamic by the Council for Islamic Ideology (CII). The CII stated that Islam does not establish any age for marriage, except that the child has to have reached the age of puberty.

This is a dangerous precedent to set in favour of child marriages, without taking into consideration the health of the children who have to undergo marriage at a very tender age. Moreover, in the tribal areas, many young girls are married off to elderly people to settle family disputes and bring peace among the families. Young girls from poverty-stricken families are also married off to elderly men for a lump sum of money. Many visitors from rich Arab countries come to Pakistan for this purpose. There have been instances when law enforcement officials have stopped child marriages from taking place but only in response to the reports they receive from rival groups that want to sabotage the plans of the families involved.

In the tribal areas of FATA, another tradition takes place, commonly known as bacha bazi, wherein adolescent male children are involved in sexual activity with adult men who keep these children in their homes for their own pleasure. This tradition goes back centuries and is common in Iran, Afghanistan and tribal Pakistan. Sometimes, marriages also take place between male caregivers and adolescent boys, which is socially acceptable as there is no apprehension about such acts. Incest also takes place within many households but it is hushed up for fear of exposure and shame, thus denying justice to children who continue to be exploited by perpetrators that are usually family members and caregivers. This heinous crime hardly gets revealed and no legal repercussions follow against the perpetrators because of the silence of the family members. The victims of abuse become psychologically impaired because they have no one to turn to for their protection and the stopping of the abuse. Many of these children show signs of depression, self-blame and low self-esteem.

Sometimes, the culprits are truck drivers who benefit from regional customs to use these children for their gratification. The most vulnerable children are those who live on the streets and become involved in sexual activity in exchange for money. This is also caused by the drugs that young adolescents get addicted to. In a poverty-stricken country like Pakistan, drug abuse is a common activity that is sadly ignored.

There is a difference between sexual abuse and sexual exploitation, which needs to be understood in the context of children. Sexual exploitation refers to the frequent rape of children who are used against their consent, whereas in sexual abuse, children are manipulated for sexual gratification and many of them do not even understand what is happening to them. At such a young age, they cannot differentiate between right and wrong; in fact, they seem to not know what is happening to them, a psychological problem that is not fully comprehended in Pakistan, nor is there any work done to understand and protect these children from psychological disorders. In Pakistan, there is hardly any legislation, legal discourse or law enforcement that can take up the issue.

Male-on-male sex with adolescents also increases the chances of HIV transmission due to unsafe sexual practices. This practice is common in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa where the government is not doing much to control the menace and save these children from being exploited by their abusers. The defenders of tradition must make headway in changing these age-old customs in the interests of the children and discard the values that cause a horrific impact on them.

Paedophilia is a curse and must be dealt with with a heavy hand. It is a very common practice and nobody here takes note of it, despite the fact that it occurs under our very noses. There is a strong need to condemn this phenomenon and for action to be taken against it. For Pakistan to progress and become a respectable nation, something must seriously be done to rid us of this evil.

The writer is a freelance columnist and may be contacted at zeeba.hashmi@gmail.com