Child sexual abuse up by 33% in 2022: report

NGO Sahil says of total, 2,325 victims were girls and 1,928 boys

LAHORE:

A report titled ‘Cruel Number’ complied by Sahil, an NGO working for the protection of children in Pakistan has revealed that a total of 4,253 cases of child sexual abuse were reported in 2022.

These cases of child sexual abuse were reported from all four provinces of Pakistan, including Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (G-B).

The data indicates that the cases include reported ones of child sexual abuse, abduction, missing children and child marriages.

Based on the statistics, the number of abused children in Pakistan is estimated to be more than 12 per day.

The gender divide shows that out of the total reported cases of child abuse, 2,325 victims were girls (55%) and 1,928 (45%) boys.

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The report indicated that the cases of child sexual abuse had increased by more than 33% as compared to 2021.

In 2022, the reported cases of sexual abuse fell under the major categories of abduction (1,656 children), rape (422 children), sodomy (537 children), gang rape (75 children), gang sodomy (156 children).

There were a total of 2,123 cases of child sexual abuse with both genders equally victimised. Further, the total number of cases regarding murder after sexual abuse were reported to be 81.

Moreover, abduction cases were reported to be 1,834 of which 178 cases were of sexual abuse after abduction.

Of the numerous incidents, there was a case in which five boys and as many girls were murdered after gang sodomy and rape. Further, 39 boys and 29 girls were murdered after being sexually abused in 2022.

According to the data, a total of 428 cases of missing children were reported. In cases of child marriages, 46 cases were reported with 45 cases of girls, and one of a boy. There were also three cases of Vani (forced child marriage as punishment) reported.

The data showed that in the list of perpetrators of child sexual abuse, the victim's acquaintances and family members were the highest in number.

The NGO report also revealed that of the 4,253 total cases, the abusers were acquaintances or related to the victims in 1,864 cases. There were 786 cases in which strangers perpetrated the abuse.

Based on the data, children between six to 15 years or age were most vulnerable to child sexual abuse, in which more male than female victims were reported. Moreover, children up to five years of age were also sexually abused. There were 1,405 cases in which the age of the victim had not been reported.

The geographical distribution of the data showed that of the total 4,253 cases, majority of them were reported in Punjab. However, all other provinces also recorded cases of child abuse.

Of the total, 2,271 cases (53%) were reported in urban areas while 1,982 cases (47%) were in rural areas. According to the report, 89% of the total reported cases had been registered with the police.

A total of 546 children were abused in their own homes, 833 at the home of the abuser, 24 children in a haveli, 55 children in a madrasa, 29 children at workplaces and 713 children in open places including fields, streets, graveyards, canals and jungles.