In August 2016, a child abuse case in Kasur had stirred a nationwide outrage, and now another scandal of the same nature has surfaced in Kot Addu. Reportedly, a gang has sexually assaulted 26 children in Kot Addu. They used to make videos of rape of the children to blackmail their parents and prevent them from going to the police. The horrendous incidents of child pornography have been reported, and the perpetrators are said to be a group of men who were involved in this heinous crime. It is very unfortunate that these shameful acts are happening without any fear of any repercussions, which in turn throws light on the abysmal condition of the legal system in Pakistan. Although there is national outrage over the occurrence of sexual abuse of children, there is little or no assurance that any real deterrence would be put into place to prevent any such incidents from happening again. The presence of such gangs of criminals who have been committing horrendous acts and are involved in producing and selling illicit videos of child sexual abuse is a black stain on society, and collective efforts must be made to ensure that this abuse is tackled and eliminated.
A combination of individual, relational, community, and societal factors contribute to the risk of child abuse. Although children are not responsible for the harm inflicted upon them, certain individual characteristics have been found to increase their risk of being maltreated. Main factors include disabilities, social isolation of families, domestic abuse, poverty, lack of family cohesion etc. The World Health Organisation and the International Society for Prevention of Child Abuse and Neglect identify multiple factors at the level of individuals, their relationships, their local community, and their society at large, all of which combine to influence the occurrence of child abuse. Those who become victims of this maltreatment mostly belong to the poor families where parents remain busy in meeting other social needs of the family. Children who are most vulnerable, least powerful, and least likely to be able to protect themselves from a stronger adult become an easy target for assailants.
The sexual abuse scandal involving children in Punjab is not just an awful reality of society affecting it on multiple levels it is also a big blow to the reputation of the incumbent government. For the Punjab government, or indeed any government, the fundamental factor of governance is to ensure safety of its people, and especially the vulnerable: the young, the weak, and the defenceless. It is imperative to ensure safety of children to protect them from kidnappings — another phenomenon that is on the rise in Lahore — and sexual abuse. A collective effort is required to provide a safe environment for children, and while stringent laws would surely act as a deterrent, the safety of children begins at home. Sexual abuse of children is taken as a stigma, and instead of reporting cases of this abuse silence is the preferred recourse. Child protection is a basic responsibility of parents. And then there is the community, society, law enforcement agencies and government. All children deserve a healthy childhood, and that is a multifaceted challenge for which everyone can contribute in one way or the other. All children deserve to be happy, and that is our individual and collective responsibility. *