In Karachi, children aged 12-17 most vulnerable to sexual violence: Report

The trend of raping and killin­g young childr­en has increa­sed since 2010.


Our Correspondent March 03, 2012

KARACHI: In the last two years, the average age of a rape survivor dropped from 18 years to 16 years, said War Against Rape (WAR), a non-governmental organisation (NGO), that released its annual report on sexual violence on Friday.

The report was based on rape, gang rape, attempted rape and sodomy cases from January 2011 to December 2011. It states that around 283 rape survivors went through a medical examination while the FIR was lodged in only 103 cases.

While talking to The Express Tribune, the NGO’s director Sara Zaman said that similar to the trend in 2010, raping and killing young children had increased. She added that the youngest rape victim in 2011 was a three-year-old girl.

“Children are raped because they are easily accessible and vulnerable,” she said. “They are murdered after the rape to protect the predator’s identity. It is difficult to kill an adult.” Zaman added that in their meetings it was suggested that around 50 cases of sexual violence were not reported because of two main reasons. In some cases, the police refused to file a complaint and in the other, the families were reluctant to talk about it.

In Karachi, 29 percent victims of sexual violence in 2011 belonged to the age bracket of 12-17 years - the group being most vulnerable. At least 27 percent of the young victims fell in the age group of 6-11 years.

Around 37 per cent of survivors were children under the age of 12 while 66 per cent were children under 18. The report mentions that nearly 80 per cent of sexual assault survivors were females while the remaining 20 per cent were male.

After a thorough investigation, the NGO discovered that 66 per cent of rape cases were not taken to court. In court, only 44 per cent were presented while 56 per cent were disposed off because of a lack of evidence. At the end of the year, 30 of the 45 cases were still pending and 14 had been decided.

Demographically, the highest incidents of sexual violence were recorded in Bin Qasim Town which was 18 per cent and it was followed by 14 per cent in Orangi Town.

The report also suggests that in trying to escape from the social backlash of rape, nearly 25 per cent of families relocated. Some of them were forced to leave because of social pressure while others left because of their landlords.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3rd, 2012.

Correction: Due to an editing error, an earlier version of the report misstated certain facts. The errors have been rectified.

COMMENTS (5)

Chacha | 12 years ago | Reply

Wonder what Hafiz Saeed and Zaid Hamid would say to this ?

Maverick The Casanova | 12 years ago | Reply

How could someone ruin the life of a child just for the sake of his mere disgusting pleasures. MONSTORS!!!

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