Pakistan’s child protection system failing to address online sexual abuse: HRCP

Calls for stronger child protection mechanisms, institutional accountability to make the internet safer for children

LAHORE:

The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (HRCP) warned on Tuesday that online sexual abuse of children remained a serious child protection concern, with underreporting, weak institutional coordination and inadequate safeguards preventing many cases from coming to light.

In its report on online child sexual abuse, the commission said the issue must be treated not merely as a cybercrime challenge but as a violation of children’s fundamental rights, dignity and safety.

The report refers to a case reported in Muzaffargarh in 2025, in which at least 50 children, including children aged six or younger, were allegedly subjected to sexual exploitation through an international network.

Read: 1.5 million children face online abuse

Every statistic in a report on online child sexual abuse is a child whose safety, dignity, and rights were taken from them.

Our recent report on online child sexual abuse sounded an alarm but the cases we document are only those that are reported in the first place. Many cases… pic.twitter.com/1xqPB0QSU7

— Human Rights Commission of Pakistan (@HRCP87) October 27, 2026

Citing figures from the US-based National Centre for Missing and Exploited Children, the report states that reports linked to suspected child sexual abuse material in Pakistan exceeded two million in 2021. However, these figures represented reports of suspected online activity and should not be interpreted as the number of individual victims.

The HRCP has called for stronger coordination among child protection authorities, police, cybercrime investigators, prosecutors and the judiciary to ensure effective investigations and accountability for perpetrators.

It has also stressed the need to provide affected children with legal assistance, psychological support and rehabilitation services.

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The commission said awareness campaigns alone would not address the problem, calling for stronger child protection mechanisms, institutional accountability and greater responsibility from online platforms to make the internet safer for children.

According to a report launched by the National Commission on the Rights of the Child in collaboration with UNICEF Pakistan in September, around 1.5 million internet-using Pakistani children aged 12 to 17 were subjected to sexual exploitation and abuse online in a single year.

The report examined the nature and scale of online sexual exploitation and abuse, experiences of children and caregivers, perspectives of frontline professionals, and gaps in Pakistan's legal and institutional response.