Minor boy ‘sexually assaulted’

Victim had gone to grocery store, shopkeeper held

A minor boy was allegedly sexually assaulted by a shopkeeper on Sunday.

According to the police report, the 14-year-old son of Abdul Majeed, a resident of Shamsabad went to a grocery store to buy cigarettes where the suspect allegedly raped him.

The case has been filed by Imtiaz Ahmed, a resident of Farid Chowk Millat Town. Police arrested the suspect and registered a case against him under Section 377 (Unnatural offences) of Pakistan Penal Code.

Incidents of sexual violence against women and minors have been rampant across the province.

Last month, a 17-year-old boy was raped allegedly by Abdul Ghafoor in Jaranwala Road area near Yasin Chowk.

A minor son of Zafar Iqbal was raped in Sabz Mandi Sudhar area by Liaqat, Basit and another suspect.

Moreover, a five-year-old boy, cousin of Roy Jahanzeb was raped by Nasir in Chak No 632GB.

A 16-year-old boy, the cousin of Asad and a resident of Chak No 122GB, Jaranwala Road, was taken by suspects Ilyas alias Gul, Hasnain Ali and others to an empty plot after a wedding function where they raped him.

Also read Young woman ‘gang-raped’ by neighbours in Lahore

Police registered separate cases against the suspects under Section 376 and 377 of PPC and started raids to arrest the fugitives.

On February 28, two boys and a woman were allegedly sexually assaulted in Chak Jhumra. The 12-year-old son of Muhammad Ilyas, a resident of 56JB on Narwala Road, along with his 14-year-old cousin, the son of Nazir, had gone to a function where suspect Naveed, son of Liaqat, and Ali, son of Ashraf alias Achhi, kidnapped them at gunpoint.

The suspects took them to a nearby field, where they subjected the minors to sexual abuse. On February 5, a 20-year-old woman was gang-raped by two neighbours in Mozang area.

On January 31, two teenage girls were sexually assaulted in separate incidents in Dijkot. On January 21, it was revealed that a teenage girl became pregnant after allegedly being raped by unknown persons in Chak Jhumra.

The 13-year-old girl was sexually assaulted by unknown persons who abandoned her when her condition deteriorated. As a result of the incident, the minor girl was diagnosed to be pregnant.

On March 26, the PTI-led federal government decided to set up anti-rape crisis cells in every district in order to curb the growing incidents of sexual assault in the country. These cells will be overseen by an Anti-Rape Ordinance Implementation Committee.

Reportedly, the Federal Ministry of Law constituted the 42-member Anti-Rape Ordinance Implementation Committee to be headed by PTI leader Maleeka Bokhari. Barrister Ambreen Abbasi was appointed the secretary of the committee.

(THE VICTIMS’ IDENTITIES HAVE NOT BEEN DISCLOSED AS A MATTER OF POLICY)

Published in The Express Tribune, May 3^rd, 2021.