Over the last couple of months, violence against children has seen a sharp rise as social media and electronic media is brimming with stories of abduction, torture and murder of children. Three cases have especially received the attention of the public.
The first one is from Karachi where a 14-year-old girl was reportedly abducted from right outside her home. According to her father, Dua Zehra went out to “throw garbage but did not come back.” The family registered an FIR as the police and Rangers launched an investigation. Activists and public expressed sheer reservations over the case.
The girl was eventually found. Journalist Hamid Mir reported: “Good news. Missing girl Dua Zehra found from Sanghar.” However, she was reported to have gotten ‘married’ much to the horror of her parents, who insist that she is a minor. The local court has allowed the ‘marriage’ to stand and given Dua Zehra permission to go with her husband since the ‘marriage’ was undertaken in accordance with Islamic law.
In another horrific incident of child abuse, a 13-year-old maid was reportedly tortured to death by a homeowner in Lahore. As per the police, the child was rushed to Children’s Hospital but the doctors pronounced her dead. “The deceased was also carrying old and new torture marks on different parts of her body,” the medical report revealed.
And then there was a third incident, which observers noted as the most horrific among the recent ones. A six-year-old boy’s tortured dead body was found after he went missing a few days ago. “An axe was used to kill the boy and his eyes were gouged out as well,” according to reports. Observers maintain there are a number of unreported such incidents, highlighting the plight of children in the country.
As per a report by an NGO in October 2021, 10 children are abused in Pakistan on daily bases, and this is done by the people “they know well.” The report entitled ‘Six Month Cruel Numbers 2021’ stated that the average number of children subjected to abuse has increased by two children per day in comparison to January-June 2020. The report further said that total of 1,896 children abuse incidents took place between Jan-June 2021. “Of these, 1,084 cases were of sexual abuse against children, 523 cases were of abduction, 238 cases were of missing children, and 51 cases were of child marriages,” the report said, adding that 53% were girls, while 47% were boys.
Analysts say the recent spike in such incidents is indeed worrisome because it shows that there are low to none protection structure against children abuse in Pakistan. Although, the former government passed Zainab Alert law to counter the incidents of child abduction and torture, however, on the ground it seems there is no concrete structure to counter the menace.
Analysts say the recent spike in such incidents is indeed worrisome because it shows that there are low to none protection structure against children abuse in Pakistan. Although, the former government passed Zainab Alert law to counter the incidents of child abduction and torture, however, on the ground it seems there is no concrete structure to counter the menace.
“Effective screening strategies for sexually abused children must be developed and implemented nationwide,” notes Durr-E-Shahwar Siddiqui a supervisor pharmacist at a secondary care hospital in Karachi.
“Healthcare professionals must be adequately trained to treat such patients with extra care and privacy because children’s claims of sexual abuse are less likely to be believed and most cases go unnoticed even by their own families.”
One of the significant aspects in these incidents is that the children from the lower class of the society are in more danger because the families either don’t report the incidents of sexual abuse, or they fear the police or they are pressurized by the strong. Also, the above-mentioned report stated that most of the cases happened when children “knew” the abuser, which experts say exposes the loopholes in our family fabric, especially in joint family systems.
Analysts say that along with the government, people need to take precautionary steps themselves, teach their children about the wrong touch, ask them to be careful and tell them to have trust on their parents so they can share such incidents without any hesitation.
“Social and cultural constraints also act as significant deterrents that hinder individuals from reporting the crime. Recently, the Sindh Child Protection Authority chairperson Shamim Mumtaz visited a survivor of rape in Pannu Aqil and advised her and her family to take the matter to a jirga instead of ‘wasting time in going to police stations’” notes barrister and analyst Rida Tahir.
“Such reprehensible remarks from a government official add fuel to fire and further discourage victims and survivors of child sexual abuse from reporting their case to the police.”
Furthermore, experts say the families shouldn’t make it a matter of “honour” for them because it is not the mistake of child. Instead, it is their duty to call out the abuser, because otherwise they will continue to commit the same crime.
