4,500 child abuse cases reported in 10 months

At least 3,088 cases of rape of women and 4,503 of child abuse have been reported in Punjab during the past 10 months. The figures were shared from a research report by Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas at a seminar organised by the Punjab University Institute of Social and Cultural Studies.

He said 446 women had been raped and 1,221 children abused in Lahore during the period. He said representation of women in the police should be increased to help prevent domestic violence. Punjab government spokesperson Musarrat Jamshed Cheema stressed the need for collective efforts and strict enforcement of laws to prevent violence against women and children.

She said that women, whether poor, educated or uneducated, were subjected to sexual harassment and violence in any society. She said that the problems of sexual harassment and violence were also faced in developed countries, but there was rule of law there. "Our girls are very talented. If steps are not taken to strengthen them, political and economic stability would elude the country," she said.

Punjab Women Protection Committee Chairperson Rafia Kamal said seminars and workshops in educational institutions on preventing violence against women and children should. She said the violence could be reduced with the cooperation of the police and health department. Institute of Social and Cultural Studies Director Dr Rubeena Zakar said incidents of violence against women and children were increasing.

She said women faced physical, mental, economic and political violence due to various reasons. "It is not only social but also a public health problem," she said. Meanwhile, the Punjab government will spend Rs201 million for revamping and expansion of the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CP&WB) in the provincial capital. The expansion will help overcome the resource gap.

The CP&WB was established in 2007 after the Destitute and Neglected Children Act under which the department was set up was passed in 2004. The bureau did not receive the attention of successive governments afterwards although the number of children needing help multiplied during the past 15 years. With the allocation of Rs201 million, the government has decided to not only rehabilitate the existing building but also expand it. The project is expected to be completed within two years.