K-P recommends public hangings for child abusers

They also recommended life imprisonment as minimum punishment in such cases

PESHAWAR: The provincial government has recommended public execution for child abusers to a special parliamentary committee.

This has been recommended in a report submitted on Tuesday by the Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa (K-P) Advocate General (AG) Shumail Butt to the parliamentary committee.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, the AG said they have recommended the proposed punishment in light of the law and the Constitution.

He said that the provincial government has suggested enhancing punishments for convicts in cases of sexual assault on minors.

Five held for abusing children 

Butt further said that they had recommended setting up of model courts to hear cases of sexual assault on minors. Moreover, they had recommended life imprisonment as the minimum punishment in such cases.

The AG hoped that within a month, the law will be presented in the provincial assembly while the K-P Chief Minister Mahmood Khan has approached all parliamentary political parties to ensure that the bill passes with a unanimous vote to show unity between both sides of the aisle on the law.

Meanwhile, the 13-member special parliamentary committee against child abuse was held on Tuesday with K-P Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ghani in the chair. The meeting discussed the proposed legislation and recommendations for the protection of children.

The committee observed that the federal government will be approached to relax its laws about public hangings. The committee further said if no relaxation is provided, then they will seek a move whereby a video recording showing child abuse convicts being hanged is shared on the media so that no one can dare to commit such dreadful crimes.

A sub-committee formed by the parliamentary committee, including legislation, awareness and implementation committees, also presented their recommendations.

The sub-committees were formed to help further the legislative process and to ensure the implementation of the devised laws.

These committees are expected to present their final recommendations in the next meeting scheduled for February 18. Once approved from the provincial assembly, the proposed legislation will be presented to the provincial cabinet for approval.

Speaking on this occasion, K-P Assembly Speaker Ghani said that the assembly is making history, adding that they are doing their best to do complete the much-needed legislation in as comprehensive a manner possible.

The assembly speaker further asked the relevant departments to submit their respective reports within a week so that final recommendations can be framed for submission to the assembly for discussion.

Teach them young: Preventing abuse, one child at a time

Ghani admitted that the committee members are feeling the pressure, stating that eyes of the entire province are fixated on the committee to provide cogent recommendations to curb the practice of child sexual abuse, and vowed that they will put in all efforts to root out the menace from society.

K-P Law minister, Social Welfare minister, and lawmakers Maulana Lutfur Rehman, Sardar Mohammed Yousaf, Inayatullah, Humayun Khan, Aasia Khattak, Shagufta Malik, Dr Aasia Asad, Dr Sunera Shams, Aisha Bano, Rehana Ismail, K-P AG and other relevant officials attended the meeting.

The provincial government in the wake of increasing incidents of sexual assault against minors in the province had vowed to introduce a new law in the province to tackle the scourge of child abuse and also had formed the parliamentary committee.

The parliamentary committee had also asked the Council Islamic Ideological to shed light on Islamic laws against the notorious practice.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 5^th, 2020.