A silent epidemic: Child sexual abuse in Pakistan

Thirteen-year-old Asim* was quieter than usual when he returned to his home in Jhelum from a motorcycle mechanic’s workshop after completing his first day as a chotu – a term widely used for apprentices. His father, a rickshaw driver, noticed but casually asked about his day at his new workplace while having dinner. “I will never go back to that shop again,” said Asim, an eighth-grade dropout, in a voice barely above a whisper.

“Why not,” his father asked in a gentle but probing tone. “I just don’t like it there,” the son said, avoiding his father’s gaze. His father felt that something was wrong. His appetite suddenly gone, he placed his hand around his son’s shoulder and told him that he could tell him anything, Asim started crying.

Amid sobs, he revealed that the workshop ustad – a term used for owners or seniors in workshops – took him to a nearby under-construction house on the pretext that some bricks and tiles needed to be shifted on the second floor. However, as they entered the house, the mechanic groped him from behind, put a cloth in his mouth and raped him. Asim added that he was then given Rs100 to buy sweets and was threatened with grievous harm if he told his father about the incident. His father, however, comforted his son and decided to take legal action against the mechanic, whose wedding was due in a month.

The next morning, the police arrested the culprit, visited the crime scene, completed forensics and booked the accused, thus, marking the beginning of a long walk to justice for Asim, his family and many other children whom the society fails every day. Just the other day, it was reported that a school headmaster allegedly raped a 10-year-old female student in the Moach Goth area of Karachi.

The FIR stated that the headmaster tutored three sisters. On June 21, the report added, he called and insisted to the mother that she should send her daughters to his home to receive Eidi. Despite initial refusal, the mother eventually sent her daughters due to his persistence. However, upon returning home, the survivor informed her mother that the headmaster had taken her to another room and raped her. She also revealed that he threatened to kill her if she told anyone about the incident.

From streets to schools and from homes to seminaries, cases of sexual violence against children are plenty and the situation is alarming. Even the Ministry of Human Rights admits the dismal situation of children’s rights. “The kidnapping of children across Pakistan is rapidly increasing,” the ministry’s website states, before adding that the issue of “missing and abducted children is alarming”.

In 2021, the ministry established the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Agency (ZARRA). The legislation was named after Zainab, a six-year-old girl, who was kidnapped from her home in Kasur, raped and killed in 2018. The Act applies to all four provinces of Pakistan and the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT) and defines the child as anyone under the age of 18 years.

Despite the open admission by the ministry, the numbers surrounding such heinous crimes are extremely disturbing. “11 children were abused every day in 2023,” the data compiled by Sahil – a non-governmental organization (NGO) – shows, saying mostly acquaintances and relatives are involved in the horrible act.

In its “Cruel Numbers 2023” report, the NGO stated that a total of 4,213 child abuse cases (CSA) had been reported from the four provinces as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The number included reported cases of child sexual abuse, abduction, missing children, and child marriages. In 2022, the number of CSA was 4,253.

The report added that a gender-divide analysis of the data showed that out of the total reported cases, 2,251 (53 per cent) of victims were girls and 1,962 (47 per cent) were boys and the reported age showed that children falling in the age group of 6-15 were most vulnerable to abuse. More boys were abused in this age bracket than girls, the report further states.

Moreover, it said, children as young as 0 to 5 years were also sexually abused. A large number of abusers were acquaintances, along with relatives, family members, strangers and women abettors. The geographical statistics show that out of the total 4,213 reported cases, 75 per cent were reported from Punjab, 13 per cent from Sindh, 7 per cent from Islamabad, 3 per cent from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, and 2 per cent from Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). Sahil added that 91% of cases were registered with the police which is a positive sign.

Apart from Sahil’s statistics, the annual report of the National Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC) for the year 2023-2024 highlights some other areas where children face difficulties. It states that the issue of the Out Of School Children (OOSC) in Pakistan persists as a significant challenge as over 26.2 million are currently OOSC, with 10.14m in Punjab, 7m in Sindh, 3.6m in Balochistan and 0.8m in ICT.

In addition to OOSC, the report says, the issue of birth registration is deeply concerning as Pakistan is amongst the countries with the lowest birth registration rate with a mere 42 per cent of children registered under the age of five years. According to UNICEF, it said, Pakistan is home to approximately 9 per cent of the world’s 166 million unregistered children.

The NCRC report, while relying on a child marriage report by UNICEF in 2021, stated that Pakistan is home to nearly 19 million child brides; one in every six young women was married in childhood. The report also talks about digital safety and states that as per the cyber tipline report for 2022, a staggering 2,059,884 cases of online child sexual abuse and exploitation were reported in Pakistan, ranking it as the 4th highest in the world. In light of these challenges, it reads, the NCRC prioritized safeguarding children’s digital safety, actively addressing concerns regarding online child protection.

Exposure of children to sexual abuse leads to a myriad of negative impacts on their development of cognitive, social, and physical health. Dr Tahira Rubab, a consultant clinical psychologist and sex therapist, listed down five common but major reasons for child sexual abuse, saying sexual frustration in society tops the list. Not educating the children about sexual abuse makes them vulnerable, the expert said, adding those involved in child abuse cases have also remained a victim of such violence at some point in their lives. Also, the doctor added that some abusers are attracted towards children and that is why they target them. Moreover, she said, children are powerless and luring as well as threatening them is easy.

The psychologist said that many children who are exposed to sexual abuse experience “life-long trauma” and find it difficult to cope with their marital life, saying they face difficulties in building relationships with their spouses because they not only feel afraid but their level of confidence is quite low.

“Some children feel extremely concerned about their bodies,” Dr Rubab said before describing that children face a variety of problems; some get involved in sexual activities; some develop unnatural sexual fantasies; some become afraid of getting married; and some children’s sexual behaviour becomes altogether different from normal children.

“The confidence is shaken to the extent that such children are unable to cope with their normal, professional and social life,” Dr Rubab said, saying the victims keep on recalling the incident and feel traumatized. “They find it hard to trust people again,” she stated, adding this leads to psychological issues. To protect children, the psychologist said, it’s crucial to familiarize oneself with the concept of providing “age-appropriate sex education to children”, as unless they are familiar with their bodies, they won’t share even if something wrong is being done with them.

Dr Rubab emphasized that telling children about ‘good-and-bad touch’ is very important as the “predators” can also be young. She added that raising awareness in college and university-going students about sexuality and marital life is crucial. “Several mental health-related issues can be overcome if the age bracket of 18 to 25 years is properly educated about sexuality,” she said, “this can also lead to a decrease in the number of child sexual abuse cases.” She emphasized that parents also needed to learn.

One of the reasons why we fail our children every day, Dr Rubab said, is the notion that teaching a child about age-appropriate sex education is inappropriate or not necessary at all. “Worst, many people still believe that child sexual abuse doesn’t take place in Pakistan and all such stories are fabricated,” she lamented, saying there was also a misconception that the religion doesn’t talk or allows talking about sex or sexuality.