Child abuse is an unreported but an alarming issue in every civilised society. Half of the children across the world are, unfortunately, exposed to violence and go through survivors’ trauma, along with its many, many consequences. They are commonly obscured from the public view. In this era of globalisation, there is a need to designate time to educate and empower the most vulnerable segments of society–children–against abuse from strangers, their teachers and even relatives. Decades of research show how negative childhood events, such as abuse or neglect, can have a detrimental impact on a person’s long-term physical and mental health. It has been linked to rapid ageing, chronic diseases and even premature deaths. Pakistan has a history of reacting to problems ex post facto. Child abuse is a classic example of poor anticipation of Pakistan of different social evils. Child abuse is widely prevalent but rarely recognised as a social problem in Pakistan.
According to the International Society Prevention of Child Abuse (ISPCAN), overall 41.69 per cent of the respondents were sexually abused. Experience of child abuse is reported more frequently by boys than girls. According to the Sahil report, the total number of reported child abuse cases across the country jumped to 2,960 in 2020 from 2486 cases in 2019, showing an increase of four per cent. More than eight children were abused daily on average in the year 2020, according to data compiled by Sahil on child sexual abuse cases reported in newspapers across the country. What is more, according to a recently published retrospective study by Abbas and Jabeen (2020) on the prevalence of child abuse in Pakistan conducted with an equal number of male and female respondents, 41 per cent (44 per cent males and 39 per cent females) of respondents reported facing at least one form of sexual abuse during childhood. There are numerous reasons behind this social malaise. Among many factors for the prevailing situation, the most pertinent is the poor parent-child relationship. We live in a society where fear and cultural taboos make it difficult to uncover cases of abuse. Parents’ unwillingness to subject their children to the medico-legal process is also a deterrent. A lack of support from family members, friends and neighbours or the community leads to the isolation of the victim, making him hesitant to share his experience about his abuser. Besides other factors responsible for child abuse are socio-economic stresses; unemployment, low self-confidence and feelings of incompetence, loneliness, and psychological unrest are the leading factor for the prevalence of child abuse in society.
Every child deserves a safe childhood and this is an achievable goal
Even before the Zainab case, child sexual abuse was widely prevalent but rarely reported. Zainab case accentuated the need to cure the menace of child abuse. After the 18th amendment in the constitution of Pakistan (1973) and the completion of the devolution process in 2011, the provinces are responsible for legislation and policy-making regarding the protection of children. Government of Pakistan has been taking commendable steps regarding the prevention of child abuse for some time, but all went in vain. Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Agency (ZARRA), was to be established on the pattern of Amber Alert to inform public and enforcement agencies to recover a missing child through One Window operations. Recently, the Punjab Police launched an app through Pukkar 15 calls at the police station and service centres. This is a remarkable step to curb the issue of child abuse.
Although the above-mentioned steps are important strides in the right direction, yet more is needed. Some target-oriented and sharply focused steps for the eradication of child abuse are extremely important. One of the most important ways of stopping child abuse is to trace it in the first place. Children tend to suffer in silence hence it is necessary to ask them to open up and share. There is a dire need to give the child the freedom to express his or her feelings without any fear. It needs to educate the children about the good touch and the bad touch. The media should play a pivotal role to spread awareness and sensitize the people about this evil. National and provincial legislatures need to review existing child protection laws while reforming the existing apparatus. The government must recognize seminars and workshops in educational institutions to sensitize the children and parents about it. This Ministry of Human Rights should play its vital role to revamp the national child protection centre to identify, prevent and report the issue of child abuse.
To sum up, it can be said with utmost certainty that every child deserves a safe childhood and this is an achievable goal. It is high time to save the children from this scourge of abuse. It is hoped that government will translate its vision of providing children with safe childhood into action. It is the need of the hour that the policymakers of Pakistan put their utmost focus on curbing this menace and providing security and peace to the children of Pakistan. The existing apparatus require reforms for safeguarding the permanent value of chastity enshrined in the Holy Quran. Let us hope for a better future for children in Pakistan.
The writer is a lawyer and can be reached at sajjad [email protected].