PML-N lawmaker seeks death penalty for child abuse

Resolution calls for completion of case proceedings within 60 days

LAHORE: A Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) lawmaker has demanded that the provincial government bring new legislation proposing death penalty for a person committing child abuse.

The demand was made through a resolution submitted to the Punjab Assembly Secretariat by MPA Sumaira Komal. She contended in her resolution that those involved in committing child abuse deserve strict punishment so that a clear message could be sent in the society to others, restraining them from such an offence.

She stated that child abuse has become a serious issue in Pakistan and the ratio of such incidents is rapidly increasing in Punjab. She stated that 2,846 children were subjected to abuse in 2019. Mostly cases are not pursued in the courts or sometimes the parties reach reconciliation, she lamented. The cases are withdrawn under different pretexts.

She added that the culprits must be given strict punishment to weed out the heinous crime from the country.

She also put another demand to the government that the cases of child abuse be resolved within 60 days. Expressing her gloom, said the cases lingered on without any substantial reasons as a result of which the victim parties seemed dejected by the system.  The resolution suggested that the cases of such nature should be decided within 60 days and the inquiry of such cases should be assigned to a police officer of the level of DSP or ASP.

Talking to The Express Tribune, the legislator contended that the present government had done nothing for the provision of justice to the poor masses. She said the PTI-led government should take the child abuse matter very seriously and bring legislation on it so that the culprits could be punished to deter such incidents in future.

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