In Pakistan's child rapes and killings continue unabated?The government silence on Rapes-Child abuse?wake-up Imran?

Two years after laws were tightened to address endemic child abuse, rights organisations say not enough is being done.

New laws, no implementation

Last year alone, over 3,800 cases of child sexual abuse were reported across Pakistan, a country of 207 million people, according to child rights organisation, Sahil.

The most vulnerable groups were identified as boys between the ages of six and 15 years old, and girls who are either infants or between 16 and 18 years old.

The numbers are not atypical for the region. In India 's capital New Delhi alone, over 2,000 rape cases were reported in 2018, while in Bangladesh, a survey conducted last year said 87 percent of children had experienced sexual abuse. 

India introduced the death penalty for child rapists last year to try to control the rising number of cases.

In 2017, Pakistan's penal code was amended to address the endemic problem of child abuse. Laws were tightened concerning child pornography, exposure of a child to seduction and child sexual abuse. Rights organisations, however, say not enough is being done.

"Our laws are certainly strong enough for convictions in child abuse cases," says Manizeh Bano, Sahil's executive director. "The problem remains with implementation."

More recently, child-friendly courts have also been set up in parts of the country, where there are particular hours for children so they do not interact with adult criminals or suspects.

There are still, however, no counsellors to take care of a child's psychological needs, or staff trained to speak with victims of trauma, says Bano.

"When children come to court they should have a screen in front of them so they can testify without having to face their accuser," says Bano, adding that children should also be allowed to give their account on video if the laws are to be implemented in spirit.

At present, police in Punjab province, where Kasur is located, are working on some of these changes to make the investigation process easier on children, including visiting children at home rather than forcing them to come to police stations to record their statements.

In 2019, a total of 2,846 cases of child abuse were reported from all four provinces of Pakistan, as well as Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit Baltistan, as per Sahil, an Islamabad-based NGO working for child protection.

Of the total, 778 were abductions, 405 children went missing, 384 were cases of sodomy, 279 of rape, 210 of attempted rape, 205 of gang sodomy cases and 115 of gang rape, the data showed. In addition, 104 child marriage cases were also reported from across the country.

Majority of the victims, 54 per cent, were girls, while 46 per cent were boys. The most vulnerable age group was between six-15 years. Although children as young as 0-5 years were also sexually abused, stated the report.

There were at least 70 cases identified related to pornography. In 2018, a total of 3,832 cases of child abuse were reported by Sahil in Pakistan.

It is worth noting that recently the National Assembly passed a resolution to publicly hang the child rapists with an overwhelming majority. Minister of State for Parliamentary Affairs, Ali Mohammad Khan, presented the bill on Friday. The bill called for the death sentence and public execution of the child rapists in the public. The extreme punishment will deter potential predators and rapists from sexually abusing minors, the minister said.