No sanctuary for abuse

A place of learning should never become a place of fear. Yet another child has paid with his life for the unchecked culture of violence that continues to exist at places meant to educate.

Fourteen-year-old Ali Haider, who had been sent to a madrassa, allegedly died from a brutal beating by his teacher. The abuse was never reported when it occurred. Ali's family took him back to Bahawalnagar for treatment, but he succumbed to his injuries days later. Barely days before Ali's death, another 12-year-old seminary student reportedly died after allegedly being tortured by a teacher in Bahawalpur. A day after Ali's case came to light, another madrassa student in Lahore was allegedly subjected to severe physical abuse that left him hospitalised. These incidents point not to coincidence but to a deeply worrying pattern that demands an urgent national response. This is not an indictment of religious education or of the thousands of seminaries that fulfil an important educational and spiritual role with integrity. Most madrassas operate peacefully and are staffed by individuals dedicated to teaching. But acknowledging this fact cannot become an excuse to ignore those institutions where violence and abuse are allowed to flourish behind closed doors. There remains an uncomfortable reluctance in society to scrutinise religious seminaries with the same rigour applied to other educational institutions.

Pakistan already possesses laws dealing with assault, child cruelty and homicide. What is missing is a preventive framework specifically designed to protect children in residential educational institutions, including madrassas. Every seminary should be required to register its staff, maintain proper student records and undergo periodic inspections. Teachers entrusted with the care of minors should undergo background verification and mandatory training in child safeguarding.