Ombudsman says…: Influential people involved in child abuse in Kasur

LAHORE: Influential and educated people including politicians and feudal lords have been found involved in the incidents of sexual abuse of minor children in Kasur district, says a report prepared by the federal ombudsman.

According to the report, which has been sent to the President of Pakistan, there is evidence that influence, pressure and bribes were used to make police cover the investigations. The report said politicians and feudal lords openly used money and influence to force the victim families to withdraw cases against the accused, adding that the basic reason behind such heinous incidents in Kasur was the easy availability of narcotics, pornography and flesh trade. It said that usually, the incidents of child abuse are not reported to the police.

The report said the majority of the victim children were poor, uneducated and hailed from backward families. It said that a centre has been set up in Kasur to monitor the increasing incidents of child abuse.

The report said that 4,139 incidents of child abuse were reported in the country during 2017, of them maximum cases, 1,089, were reported in Punjab. While over 250 cases were reported during the year 2018. The report said in the 272 cases of child abuse reported in Kasur in 2017, only few accused were punished.