Minor boy molested by shopkeeper
An 11-year-old boy was molested by a shopkeeper while a woman and a teenage girl foiled rape attempts by making noise.
According to a police report, the 11-year-old grandson a resident of Nishatabad, went to a shop near his house to get a soft drink.
The shopkeeper, Sohail, allegedly seduced him and molested him, the complainant reportedly told the police.
Separately, the accused Hasnain tried to rape the 15-year-old daughter of a resident of Satiana Road; while three accused, including Irfan, allegedly stopped the wife of a resident of Ghousiabad Ghulam Muhammadabad, on the road at gunpoint and tried to rape her. Both victims thwarted the rape attempts by making noise and drawing the attention of passers-by.
Police registered cases against the accused nominated by the complaints under sections 377, 376 and 511 of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) and started a search for them.
Minors have been a frequent target of sexual assault in Punjab. The Sahil NGO revealed in 2021 that 3,852 children were made targets of molestation and sexual assault across Punjab. According to the report, titled ‘Cruel Number’, at least 40 of the victims were murdered afterward. Perpetrators range from strangers to the victim’s own family members.
Meanwhile, in January of this year, a young girl was allegedly molested by her uncle in Okara. The 11-year-old victim had been kept in her uncle’s house for five months, where she was repeatedly assaulted. The man was arrested upon the complaint of the girl’s father.
In another case in April, two teenagers, a 14-year-old girl, and a 16-year-old boy, were both sexually assaulted in Chak Jhumra. The teenage boy was allegedly lured by the accused, Abdullah, to a factory and molested. Meanwhile, the girl was allegedly taken to a field by the accused, Waseem, and raped. In both cases, passersby caught the accused in the act and handed them over to police. Cases were registered under Sections 376 and 377 against both named accused. Separately, three boys were molested by a madrassah teacher in Kharrianwala earlier this week. The youngest of these victims, a 7-year-old boy, was enrolled in the madrassah with his 8-yer-old brother, who was also a victim.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 29th, 2022.