Rabia Mustafa

Sexual activity with a child by an adult, adolescent, or older child is known as child sexual abuse. Indecent exposure, child sexual exploitation (such as assaulting a child to create child pornography), and having sexual relations with a child are all examples of child sexual abuse. Child sexual abuse can happen in a variety of settings, including the home, school, street, and workplace.

The most important of the many contributing causes to the situation as it currently exists is the strained parent-child interaction and relationship. Fear and social taboos make it challenging to find examples of abuse in our society. Another impediment is parents’ hesitancy to subject their kids to the medico legal system. The victim becomes isolated due to a lack of support from his/her loved ones, friends, neighbors, or the community, which makes him/her reluctant to talk about the abuser. Socioeconomic stress, unemployment, poor self-confidence, feelings of incompetence, loneliness, and psychological unrest are other elements that contribute to child abuse.

In Pakistan, child abuse is pervasive yet rarely acknowledged as a social issue but considering the importance and how big this issue is, it should be tackled, otherwise, its long-term effects are worse. According to data compiled by Sahil on child abuse cases, 3852 incidents were published in newspapers across the nation in 2021. Examples of these documented cases were child sexual abuse (CSA), kidnappings, child disappearances, and child marriages. Data indicates that throughout 2021, more than 10 children were abused every day. Compared to 2020, there have been more than 30% more instances of child abuse. However, as compared to 2021’s data, in the first half of 2022, ‘Sahil’s Six Months Cruel Numbers Report’ indicated that 12 children are sexually abused per day. It was stated in the concluding session of the 26th Biennial International Conference in Karachi on 30th October 2022 that “Child sexual abuse which we see through media is just a tip of the iceberg, as, according to our research, over five lakh and fifty thousand children, both boys and girls are sexually abused — in fact raped in Pakistan every year. Ironically, we have now laws in place for child protection, but they are not implemented”.

Every civilized culture deals with the disturbing but underreported problem of child abuse. The most defenseless members of society—children—need to be educated and given the authority to protect themselves from abuse by strangers, their teachers, and their relatives—especially in this period of globalization. Numerous studies over the years have demonstrated how adverse childhood experiences, such as abuse or neglect, can negatively affect an individual’s long-term physical and mental health. It has been connected to accelerated aging, chronic illnesses, and even early demise.

In this regard, the following sections of the Pakistan Penal Code (PPC) are crucial to understand regarding child sexual abuse:

  • (Exposure to Seduction (292A)
  • Pornography (292B & 292C)
  • Sexual Abuse (377A & B)
  • Rape (375 & 376)
  • Unnatural offences (377)

Moreover, the awareness of the following Federal legislation for the protection of the child rights is necessary for the general benefit of the public:

  • National Commission for the Rights of Child Act, 2017 (National Commission is working under this Act)
  • The Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act, 2020
  • ICT Child Protection Act, 2018
  • Child Marriage Restraint Act, 1929
  • Sindh Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2013
  • Punjab Child Marriage Restraint Act, 2015
  • Prevention of Electronic Crimes Act, 2016
  • Juvenile Justice System Act, 2018

However, prevention is better than cure. There is a need to bond a healthy parent-child relationship where children are confident enough to share their concerns with their parents and vice versa. Social taboos and fear of exposing such crimes should be broken with education, campaigns of awareness, and media reporting. Proper counseling and the support of loved ones are necessary if such crimes are happened and exposed.

Rabia Mustafa is a Senior Research Fellow at the School for Law and Development.

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