Child sex abuse

Child protection continues as a major stressor for parents across Pakistan. With the release of NGO Sahil’s Cruel Numbers’ Report, the fear will grow, owing to an increased number of reported child abuse cases from January to June 2018 by 32 per cent, compared with the same period in 2017. With Prime Minister Imran Khan mentioning child abuse in his introductory address to the nation, there is some hope that a more aggressive approach will be adopted. However, one should not be a Pollyanna amid the new hopes that the keepers of Naya Pakistan have engendered. Five years is too short a period to undo the neglect and erosion previous leaderships have caused. Mitigating the menace of child abuse will require a multimodal approach to include changing policies, improving police training, and reversing a sexually-repressed, sadistic, and desensitised psyche that has been adopted by some adults.

We highlight the significance of the psyche because according to Sahil report, 74 per cent of reported cases were from rural areas, localities and peoples that exist in isolation from the rest of the populace and simultaneously, removed from being subject to local laws and norms. It may be that more cases have been reported and that the incidence has not actually risen, but poor policing in rural areas continues to be a contributing factor. Punjab, with its vast rural land, where 65 per cent of reported cases occur, is a clear indication of poor police coverage having allowed the incidence of abuse to flourish, despite the discovery of Kasur’s major child sexual abuse ring three years ago.

Pakistan continues to be one of the worst countries to raise a family. Optimists are blind patriots or hail from upper middle-class homes, confident that their connections and wealth will facilitate them in time of need. Noticeably, just about every major politician in the past has maintained ties with foreign countries, sending his family away for security. With a dilapidated police force and a distracted intelligence bureau, other parents are left helpless.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 3^rd, 2018.

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