LAHORE: A ‘confidential’ report of the home department has expressed serious concerns over the increase in child abuse crime rate in Punjab, unveiling that the number of boys facing the terrifying ordeal is more than the girls.

It made some disturbing revelations that out of the total perpetrators facing trial in courts, 55 per cent were the neighbours of the victims, 32pc strangers and 13pc were relatives.

The department collected the region-wise data of child abuse in Punjab using the field staff and stated that the Rawalpindi region and Lahore city reported lowest crime against children than other divisions of the province.

It pointed out many key factors as prime barriers in controlling sexual crime against children in Punjab.

Home dept makes recommendations to arrest crime rate in Punjab

As per the report, during first five and a half months of this year, a total of 1,390 incidents of child abuse were reported in Punjab and of them 959 (69pc) victims were boys and 431 (31pc) girls.

The department also furnished recommendations to control the child abuse crime and sent the report to the Lahore capital city police officer (CCPO) and the regional police officers (RPOs) to follow them in letter and spirit.

It stated that the [child abuse] cases are being filed frequently in Punjab and experiences/complaints are reported more by boys than the girls.

“It is also a matter of concern that a number of cases remain unreported. In our society fear and cultural taboos make it difficult to report the crime”, read the findings (a copy is also available with Dawn).

The unwillingness of the parents to subject their children to the medico-legal is a deterrent in this connection, according to the report.

It further pointed out that lack of support from the family members, friends and neighbours or the community leads to the isolation of the victim, making him/her hesitant to share his/her experience about the abuser.

“Besides other factors responsible for the child abuse are socio-economic stresses, unemployment, low self-confidence and feelings of incompetence, loneliness and psychological unrest”, reads the report.

According to it, 220 incidents of child abuse were reported in Gujranwala region/division followed by DG Khan (199), Faisalabad (186), Multan (140), Bahawalpur (129), Sheikhupura (128), Sahiwal (127), Sargodha (103) and so on. The Rawalpindi region and Lahore city were at the bottom with 69 and 89 cases, respectively.

The department further reported that out of the total registered FIRs, challans in 799 cases were submitted to courts, 441 were under investigation while 148 had been closed/dismissed.

“The child sexual abuse is influenced by a range of social factors in Pakistan, and patriarchal norms, power imbalances, poverty, illiteracy and social inequalities contribute to the vulnerability of the children”, the report reads.

Additionally, the victim-blaming attitudes and a lack of awareness about child rights further compounded the challenges faced in addressing and preventing the crime.

The report stated that Pakistan has taken various steps to address child sexual abuse by enacting many laws such as the Criminal Law (Amendment) Act of 2016, the Prevention of Child Abuse Act of 2018 and the Zainab Alert, Response, and Recovery Act 2020.

“However, effective implementation, enforcement, and coordination among relevant agencies are crucial to ensure justice for victims and punishment for the perpetrators”, as per the report.

RECOMMENDATIONS: The home department has recommended that the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau, inter alia, are the main stakeholders for the protection of the children from the criminals and the CPWB may further be sensitised and directed to be more active in view of the prevailing situation.

“It should have a dedicated team of the professionals and the motivated officials including the child protection officers, psychologists, law officers and doctors for the protection of the children from abuses and rehabilitation of the victims”, recommends the report.

A well-defined mechanism should be devised for coordination among the different stakeholders including police, parents, CPWBs and other relevant federal provincial agencies.

It also stressed upon the sensitisation and capacity building of all the stakeholders and staff of relevant agencies.

The department has proposed to initiate the training programmes for the professionals working with the children such as teachers, healthcare providers, personnel of the law-enforcement agencies and social workers in order to enhance their skills in identifying the signs of abuse, responding sensitively and providing appropriate support.

It has recommended effective coordination between all help lines at provincial level, linking the domestic violence helpline 1099 with the police department.

“A database of abducted/missing children should be developed for analysis and policy recommendations”, reads the report.

The department strongly proposed that the national and provincial legislatures need to review the existing child protection laws while reforming the existing apparatus.

“The government should establish special courts for child abuse cases and enhance the capacity and training of law-enforcement agencies and judicial system to handle such cases effectively”, the report says.

The department also proposed to review the role of the ministry of human rights to address this category of crime.

“The ministry should play its role to revamp the national child protection centre to identify, prevent and report issue of child abuse”, the report states.

It stressed that the holistic support services, including counseling, medical assistance, legal aid and rehabilitation programmes must be made available to the child survivors and their families to aid their recovery and reintegration into the society.

Published in Dawn, July 14th, 2023