Conviction rate in child abuse cases stands at 27pc, Senate panel told

ISLAMABAD: The Senate Standing Committee on Interior was informed on Friday that, currently, the conviction rate in child pornography cases stands at 27 percent and a total of 184 FIRs had been registered in the last two years and 225 offenders arrested.

Presiding over the meeting of Senate Standing Committee on Interior, Senator Mohsin Aziz said that there was a dire need to increase the conviction rate in child abuse cases, with a special focus on raising awareness against this menace. The committee also recommended that websites containing questionable material should be banned as the internet has adverse effects on the younger generation.

The Senate panel was briefed by the Federal Investigation Agency and Pakistan Telecommunication Authority on actions against the menace of growing exposure of children to online pornography. The officials apprised the committee that a specialized unit named the “Unit to Counter Online Child Abuse” has been dedicated to countering child abuse.

The Senate panel deliberated on the bill titled “The Cutting of Trees (Prohibition) (Amendment) Bill, 2023”. Senator Palwasha Muhammad Zai Khan, the bill’s mover, stated that the bill aims to protect the environment of the city given the country’s current climate crisis. She emphasised that the bill serves as an epitome for the provinces, adding that the centuries-old trees have been cut down to meet the housing needs of the city and “such practices should be stopped once and for all”.

The officials informed the committee that certain provisions in the CDA exclusively deal with the protection of trees, and the CDA is also empowered to impose fines on wrongdoers. The committee deferred deliberations on the bill until the next meeting. Furthermore, the committee discussed a bill titled “The Rehriban (Street Vendors) Livelihood Protection Bill, 2023”.

Senator Sania Nishtar, the bill’s mover, explained that there are approximately one million street vendors in the country, generating Rs900 billion in annual sales. “Unfortunately, there is no legal framework in place to regulate these street vendors,” she added. She said that the purpose of the bill is to protect street vendors from the vandalism of municipal staff and shopkeepers and to provide a secure livelihood for them.

The officials apprised the committee that the bill conflicts with the Local Government Act, and certain bylaws are already in place for the regulation of street vendors. The committee deferred deliberations on the bill until the next meeting. Meanwhile, the Senate body also held deliberations on a bill titled “The National Database and Registration Authority Bill, 2023”. Senator Fawzia Arshad, the bill’s mover, said that the primary objective of the bill is to make it mandatory for Nadra to provide registration facilitation to persons with disabilities, prisoners, transgender persons, and religious minorities. She maintained that the dynamics of national identification have rapidly changed during the past decade, adding that it is essential to conform the Nadra ordinance to the present time.

Moreover, the Nadra officials apprised the committee that the Nadra ordinance makes it mandatory for every citizen to register themselves with Nadra, and refusal to do so will constitute an offence. The committee deferred deliberations on the bill until the next meeting. Those attended the meeting included Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, Senator Saifullah Abro, Senator Shahadat Awan, Senator Fawzia Arshad, Senator Dilawar Khan, Senator Sania Nishtar, Senator Palwasha Muhammad Zia Khan, Interior Ministry Secretary Aftab Khalid Durrani, Nadra Chairman Lieutenant General Muhammad Munir Afsar, CDA Chairman Capt (retd) Anwarul Haq, PTA Chairman Maj. General (retd) Hafeezur Rehman and other senior officials of the relevant departments.