‘11 children being abused daily’

Islamabad : While raising alarm about the growing incidence of child abuse in the country, Sahil, a countrywide civil society organisation, has pushed the government for effectively enforcing laws on the children’s rights and parents for monitoring the children’s activities to prevent them from sexual exploitation.

“Eleven children in Pakistan are reported to be sexually abused every day, which is just the tip of the iceberg,” Sahil representative Mumtaz Gohar told reporters here on Wednesday.

He asked families, especially parents, to be vigilant towards their children’s whereabouts in order to minimize the risk of assault.

Other civil society activists, especially child rights advocates, also complained about growing violence against children in form of sexual abuse and said more and more such cases were reported.

Safdar Raza, a child rights activist, said the brutal rape and murder case of three-year old minor girl Faryal in Havelian area of Abbottabad district had once again led togrief and anger to bring justice to the crimes perpetrated against the child.

He said the primary responsibility lied with the State to protect children through proper implementation of national laws.

Syed Kausar Abbas, executive director at the Sustainable Social Development Organisation, said the child rights movement expressed its dismay over the escalating numbers of Child Sexual Abuse (CSA) cases followed by murder of minors from all parts of the country.

“The civil society calls upon the government to strictly implement the existing laws on child sexual abuse and also legislate on gaps and lacunas that makes it easier for perpetrators to escape,” he said.

Kausar Abbas said the government had already made national action plan to counter such issues at local level.

He said the Vigilance Committees Act 2016 was made two years ago but still there is no implementation of Vigilance Committees Act 2016.

The civil society activist said the vigilance committees and local councils could be used to identify the culprits who were involved at local level in child sexual abuse but the Government had not yet made any strategy to implement such laws.

The Ministry for Interior and the Prime Minister’s Office should immediately take steps to call a consultation to develop a strategy to counter child sexual abuse instead of just taking notice, we need implementation and actions.

Minal Kiani of the Research Department, SPARC, said the investigation process and evidence collection of such cases demands speedy action by the police without delays.

She also said the initial fact-finding by SPARC Hazara office and the local media shows that minor girl had seven sisters whereas her father was martyred during his service in army.

“It is suspected that following the remarriage of Faryal’s mother with one of her deceased husband’s brother, some enmity also arose in the family. Meanwhile police investigation is ongoing,” she said.

The CRM activists staged a walk from outside the National Press Club to D-Chowk shouting slogans against child abuse.