Eleven-year-old Zubair* was returning to his house after playing cricket around two months ago when he was attacked by his cousins, who then sexually molested and filmed him. The child, who hails from a village in the Alpuri area of Shangla in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), didn’t tell anyone about the incident, until its video surfaced recently, and the area people recognised the victim and informed the police.

“When the police came to our house, I was really scared but told them the story,” Zubair tells Eos in a phone interview. “I was afraid of my parents’ reaction,” he adds.

While his parents were still reeling from the revelations, the young boy left the house to escape the humiliation.

Zubair’s uncle found him in the local bazaar and beat him up before bringing him back home. “I did it [beat him] because he did not tell the family about the incident and we found out about it from the police,” the uncle tells Eos. Zubair says he hasn’t left the house since then.

Instead of getting counselling and support, victims of child sexual abuse are often shamed into silence — not just by their parents but the insensitivity of the very people who might be instrumental in getting them justice. This is particularly true in KP, where notions of honour and shame continue to have great sway…

OF HONOUR AND SHAME

The KP police says it registered 350 cases in KP last year under section 376 (rape) of the Pakistan Penal Code and under section 53 (sexual abuse) of the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act, 2010.

Sahil, a non-governmental organisation that works on child sexual abuse, revealed that a total of 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported across the country in the first six months of 2024, with the overwhelming majority, 76 percent, of cases reported in Punjab. KP accounted for only three percent of the cases, which amounts to 49 cases.

However, according to Muhammad Zahid Khan, the current senior superintendent (SSP) of police of the investigation wing in Shangla, the number of child abuse cases in KP is much higher.

“The majority of victims and their families avoid getting FIRs [first information reports] registered due to the perceived shame and dishonour it brings to the family in society,” he tells Eos.

He insists that the police are prompt in taking action when the case is reported. “However, in most instances, people opt for out-of-court settlements and compromises, resulting in a lower conviction rate,” he continues.

Khan also points out that, in many cases, not just the victims but also the accused are juveniles, which allows the accused to take advantage of the situation.

This happened in the case of Mansoor*, a police constable from Shangla, whose son was sexually assaulted by a neighbour and his cousin, who ran a shop in their area. One of the accused has since been granted bail after he was found to be underage.

While Mansoor wants justice for his child, he is also worried about the ‘stigma’ his child has to carry for the rest of his life. “In our conservative society, people can be cruel with their words, and I fear for his future,” he tells Eos. “I’m concerned about the emotional toll this trauma will take on him.”

A COMPROMISED SYSTEM

Dr Samina Karim is an associate professor at the University of Bradford in the United Kingdom. She spent several years working in Pakistan and, for the last two years, she has been leading a study on child protection in the country.

As one part of that study, 111 child abuse victims were interviewed alongside key professionals — including police officers, legal advocates, teachers, and doctors — to assess the effectiveness of existing child protection measures. 

“Despite progressive legislation, the enforcement of child protection laws in Pakistan remains weak due to systemic challenges,” Dr Karim tells Eos in an online interview.

The KP government passed a bill in 2022, making amendments to the Child Protection and Welfare (Amendment) Act, making punishments for crimes against children — including sexual abuse, pornography, organ trade and trafficking — more stringent.

It increased the minimum punishment for child pornography to 14 years of rigorous imprisonment, and a fine of between two million to seven million rupees. In the original law, the punishment was three to seven years imprisonment and a fine of Rs200,000 to Rs500,000 for the offender involved in such pornography. Punishment for offenders involved in the seduction of children has also been increased.

But, as Dr Karim notes, enforcement remains a problem.

She also points out that law enforcement agencies often lack specialised training to handle child abuse cases sensitively, while bureaucratic inefficiencies and underfunded child protection units further limit the effectiveness of legal frameworks.

The website of the Child Protection Unit (CPU) in KP reveals that it has registered 31,528 cases of child abuse, of which 29,378 have been closed. But it fails to provide the years in which the cases were registered or any breakdown based on that.

Akhtar Munir, who works in the CPU in Peshawar, tells Eos that the data is from 2010 till date. “We provide the required services to the victim — medical services, relief, legal services, reunification with the family etcetera — depending on the nature of the case,” he adds.

A CULTURE OF MISTRUST

Dr Karim also acknowledges the problem of underreporting, pointing out that families often silence their children after they become victims of assault, fearing shame and dishonour in society. “But if we stay silent on the issue, it gives power to perpetrators,” she adds.

“As professionals in all capacities, we need to work to address this by supporting people to report cases, so that victims/survivors are no longer made to feel they have anything to hide or be ashamed of — because they don’t,” Dr Karim adds.

She explains that the research also highlights how families of child abuse victims often fear reporting cases to the police. “As a result, some choose to settle matters out of court, leaving them without a real sense of justice — an outcome that can subsequently embolden abusers to continue their crimes,” she continues.

One aspect of the research has also explored how medical professionals respond to child protection concerns. Dr Karim’s preliminary findings show how they either feel obliged not to say anything due to the family fearing shame in society, or they have limited structures within medical settings to be able to report cases of abuse.

Coming to the solution, Dr Karim suggests that the reporting of child abuse cases is essential, and where families feel unable to report their concerns through formal channels, professionals absolutely must. “Therefore, clear reporting procedures need to be established within all health and education services,” she emphasises.

When families may not report child abuse cases, says Dr Karim, professionals who interact with the children have a critical role to play in reporting such incidents, while ensuring the protection of the victim’s identity. This, she believes, is essential to eradicating this heinous crime which impacts children, their families and society as a whole.

Dr Karim also suggested having child protection specialists in the police and the Federal Investigation Agency who are trained to handle child abuse cases, as these cases require an additional layer of sensitivity.

**Names changed to protect privacy*

The writer is Dawn’s correspondent in Shangla,
KP. X: @umar_shangla

Published in Dawn, EOS, March 2nd, 2025