PESHAWAR: Over the past five years, a staggering 12,164 cases of violence against children, women, and transgender persons have been reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, yet conviction rates remain dismally low.
According to official documents, only 81 out of 924 reported cases of child abuse last year resulted in convictions. The data shows that in 2022, 844 cases were registered, 827 in 2021, 473 in 2020, and 530 in 2019.
In cases of violence against women, 8,299 incidents were reported during this period, with only 168 resulting in convictions. The annual breakdown reveals 1,859 cases reported last year, 1,930 in 2022, 1,566 in 2021, 1,585 in 2020, and 1,359 in 2019.
Transgender individuals also faced significant violence, with 234 cases reported over five years. Shockingly, only one perpetrator was convicted. Last year, 61 cases were reported, 88 in 2022, 61 in 2021, 40 in 2020, and 17 in 2019.
Police officials attribute the low conviction rates to weak investigations, inadequate legal charges, and a shortage of investigative officers and staff, which have allowed many perpetrators to evade justice.
