Daily Times

KARACHI: In the 2017 the total number of reported child abuse cases stood at a staggering 4,139, dividing the total number of children being abused in Pakistan per day to 11, according to Sahil, a non-governmental organisation.

According to the latest numbers released by Sahil NGO, which 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. “Many of the incidents of child abuse fail to get highlights in the media”, said Mumtaz Gohar an official from Sahil NGO

Mumtaz Gohar told that in 2017 a total of 129 cases of child assault were reported from Kasur alone. 34 were abductions, 23 were rapes, 19 sodomy, 17 attempted rapes, six abduction and rapes, and four abduction and gang-rapes. As over 720 incidents of such nature have been reported from Kasur in the last three years.

The shocking numbers shows the failure of law enforcement agencies, particularly in province Punjab, in apprehending these criminals and curbing a plague which seems to have taken hold of in Pakistan.

In accordance with the data from Sahil, child abuse cases from January to June 2017, Punjab tops with 1089 cases whereas Sindh suffered 490, while 76, 58, 42, and nine cases reported from Balochistan, FATA, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir respectively.

The rural areas are most affected amounted to 74 percent, while the number of cases occurred in urban areas increased by 10 percent as compared to the comparable period in 2016.

Last year, there was a 17 percent decrease in child abuse cases as compared to the 2016. From January to June, a total of 1,764 cases of child abuse were reported as compared to the 2,127 cases for the same period in 2016.

Of the all cases of sexual abuse in 2017’s first 6 months, 45 percent of the cases were committed by acquaintances, while another 17 percent of the terrible crimes were carried out by strangers and acquaintances.

Strangers were found responsible for 15% of all cases during the period.

Of all cases, 15% of the crimes were committed at the victim’s own place, while 12 percent were said to occurred at an acquaintance’s place.

An ironic revelation in the report exposes that a 100 percent increase in child abuse by landlords in 2017.

Published in Daily Times, January 18^th 2018.