At least 222 cases of sexual abuse against children were reported in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) between May 2011 and December 2017, statistics released by KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission show.

The district-wise statistics on sexual violence and abuse directed at children reveal that 155 victims were male and 67 female.

The highest number of such cases, 38, was reported in Abbottabad. Among other districts, 37 cases were reported from Swabi, 35 from Mardan and 30 from Charsadda.

The data reveals that a total of 29,026 vulnerable children were registered with the department during the period, of which 17,794 were males, 11,226 females and six transgenders.

A total of 257 cases of violence against children were also reported with the commission while 156 cases of drug addiction among children were reported.

Since the beginning of 2018, there has been a marked upsurge in the reporting of sexual abuse cases across Pakistan. The brutal rape and murder of Zainab Ansari in Kasur earlier this month in particular shocked the entire country, with #JusticeforZainab becoming the rallying cry in a nationwide drive to end violence against children.

Opinion

Editorial

Trump 2.0
Updated 07 Nov, 2024

Trump 2.0

It remains to be seen how his promises to bring ‘peace’ to Middle East reconcile with his blatantly pro-Israel bias.
Fait accompli
07 Nov, 2024

Fait accompli

A SLEW of secretively conceived and hastily enacted legislation has achieved its intended result: the powers of the...
IPP contracts
07 Nov, 2024

IPP contracts

THE government expects the ongoing ‘negotiations’ with power producers aimed at revising the terms of sovereign...
Rushed legislation
Updated 06 Nov, 2024

Rushed legislation

For all its stress on "supremacy of parliament", the ruling coalition has wasted no opportunity to reiterate where its allegiances truly lie.
Jail reform policy
06 Nov, 2024

Jail reform policy

THE state is making a fresh attempt to improve conditions in Pakistan’s penitentiaries by developing a national...
BISP overhaul
06 Nov, 2024

BISP overhaul

IT has emerged that the spouses of over 28,500 Sindh government employees have been illicitly benefiting from BISP....