Digital sexual exploitation

As the international world processes the heinous amounts of child sexual abuse data released from the Epstein files, at home the National Cyber Crimes Investigation Agency of FIA has uncovered a major network involved in the sexual exploitation of children via blackmail. A prime suspect, hailing from Murree, has been arrested as part of the operation uncovering over 600 obscene videos of children.

The severity of this case simply cannot be overstated. In a digital society where access to children has unfortunately become effortless, it raises urgent questions about the proliferation of such depraved people in online spaces — spaces that are as accessible to children as they are to predators. What measures has the government put in place to ensure the protection of our children? Who, if anyone, is making sure parents are informed enough to know what to look for when trying to protect them? What, if any, conversations are taking place to figure out how to uncover possibly more such networks?

These are questions every citizen deserves answers to, but it seems there are none. Child sexual abuse is rampant in Pakistan not just in online spaces but in physical spaces as well. When physical traces of sexual crime are rarely caught and prosecuted, what hope is there for catching people who can easily hide their identities and locations online?

Digital initiatives to modernise a country should not involve e-governance or digital infrastructure at the forefront. Far more important are digital policies in place that protect the most vulnerable segment of our society — children — without which we are simply complicit in the violence inflicted on them. Some countries have banned social media for minors, while others have digital safety at the forefront of their curriculum. It's about time Pakistan adopted a practical approach rather than simply relying on individual protection.