Just this Wednesday the Rawalpindi police released a report of 23 sexual assault cases against children in the city since the start of the year. Twelve of them involved minor boys or girls. The police, grasping at straws, apprehended 20 suspects, including 11 pedophiles. However, the lack of a proper system was noticed when all the cases were said to be reported to the police station. While the police made sure no case was left unnoticed, the system as a whole should have the police actively searching for such activities being carried out. These reports are just the tip of the iceberg. Many cases are hushed even before reaching the relevant authorities. The Rawalpindi CPO made promises through his statements about a zero-tolerance policy against such vile practices but the truth is that the police have caught the problem by the wrong ear. Cutting off the branches won’t matter if the roots are still intact. There is a dire need to create a system that specifically caters to the problem of sexual assault.
As a first step psychologists need to be brought on board for regulation check-ups to detect any form of psychological condition. In localities with a high number of cases, surveys for children and adults need to be conducted thoroughly and aggressively to notice any tell-tale signs. A team of diverse professionals needs to come together to create a system whereby the roots of such problems are assessed and attacked vigorously. These numbers are actual lives that have been damaged or destroyed by twisted minds. Such heinous activities have no place in the 21st century and must be abolished.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 3rd, 2020.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ