Horrors of the internet

The digital world has opened many doors for children all over the world to learn, connect, and imagine futures beyond their immediate surroundings. But in the wrong hands, the same technologies that empower them can be weaponised to harm them. In just one year, an estimated 1.5 million internet-using children in Pakistan between the ages of 12 and 17 experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse. These are crisis-level numbers, and they are not being caused in some dark street corner or seedy hotel, but in the victims' own homes.

The Disrupting Harm in Pakistan report, a study of the issue backed by UNICEF and several other international organisations, features a brutal assessment of the situation. In most cases, the perpetrator was someone the child knew. Perhaps even worse is the fact that in almost two out of three cases, the child told no one. They stayed silent because they felt embarrassed or simply didn't know who to turn to. When an abused child is silenced by society, the entire society has collectively failed at one of its most basic duties.

The report underscores what many child protection experts have long warned: Pakistan's legal framework contains gaps that allow perpetrators to act with impunity, and survivors face daunting barriers to disclosure, reporting and justice. The National Commission on the Rights of the Child has previously called for legislative reforms that criminalise all forms of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse, and for child-centered, trauma-informed reporting and justice mechanisms. These are very realistic, common-sense suggestions.

But laws alone are meaningless. We need to break down the culture of silence and replace it with one where children can confidently talk to their parents and teachers about online safety without being shamed. We need schools that teach digital literacy alongside algebra. We need platforms that prioritise child safety over profit. And we need a justice system that treats every child's testimony with urgency and dignity.