perspective-child sexual abuse - Page 3

perspective-child online protection

Unveiling Deepfakes

Laila* first met Adeel* at a fine dining restaurant along the coastline of Karachi city, after eight months of online dating on Instagram. She was then 20, he 21. The two talked for hours as the golden sun set, meeting the horizon of the sea. Laila described Adeel as the kindest, most caring man she ever met, and wanted to…

A Silent Epidemic: Child Sexual Abuse in Pakistan

ISLAMABAD: Thirteen-year-old Asim* was quieter than usual when he returned to his home in Jhelum from a motorcycle mechanic’s workshop after completing his first day as a chotu – a term widely used for apprentices. His father, a rickshaw driver, noticed but casually asked about his day at his new workplace…

Child Marriage: Laws, Verdicts, Solutions

Pakistan turned 77 this year, yet the children harbored by the fifth…

Between Books and Screens

A SCHOOL administrator recently remarked in a tone of resignation that these…

Our Vulnerable Children

Some 3,364 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan in 2024, according to Sahil’s annual Cruel Numbers report – an alarming figure that should shock the conscience of the nation. The cases, drawn from media reports across all provinces, include 1,828 incidents of child sexual abuse, 1,204 abductions, 241…

Pakistan’s Children

THE National Commission on the Rights of the Child recently published its first-ever report of data, challenges and recommendations on the State of Children in Pakistan, 2024. While the state of child rights remains dismal in Pakistan, this government-owned reflective report is a welcome change from the time when similar…

Wounded Childhood

PAKISTAN is unkind to its children. The NCRC’s State of Children in Pakistan Report 2024 scans the grim circumstances our young are forced to navigate, and spells out the systemic apathy towards their safety, health and progress. It asserts that the country faces tremendous difficulties in safeguarding the rights of…

Adopted Children Face Uncertain Futures

Children given in the custody of childless couples are vulnerable to mistreatment LAHORE. Till date, Pakistan has not been able to devise formal legislation on the practice of child adoption, despite the fact that a significant number of married couples are given temporary custody of abandoned children each year. As…

Digital Children

AS most parents with young children will agree, the easiest way to pacify a bawling child is to hand them a smartphone, tablet, or other digital device. But though this might ensure temporary calm, the long-term effects of this practice — particularly the unsupervised use of digital devices — can…

Rape And Low Conviction

Pakistan’s low conviction rates for sexual assault highlight the urgent need for legal reform and victim protection. Sexual assault remains a massive problem in Pakistan, where a worryingly high offence rate pairs with an abysmal conviction rate, creating a recipe for disaster. Reliable data on sexual assault and related crimes…

Child Abuse At Work

Child workers in Pakistan face abuse, exploitation, and neglect. Stricter laws and actions are essential The suffering of child workers, especially in domestic households, is a harsh reminder of society’s failure to protect its most vulnerable members. In Pakistan, many children face severe physical and mental abuse, with their pain…

Countering Cybercrime

THE new National Cyber Crime & Investigation Authority appears to have landed in limbo, with the authorities apparently unsure about what purpose they expect to see it fulfil. According to a news report in this paper, the government has formally repealed the rules devised to govern the body, leaving its…

Fabricated?

The recent incident involving the alleged rape of a college student in Lahore has spiralled into a troubling saga of misinformation, protests and official inquiries. Following social media reports claiming that a young female student was sexually assaulted at a girls’ college in Gulberg, protests erupted, reflecting widespread outrage and…

Protecting Children

THIS country’s children make the news for unfortunate reasons. At the core of their plight is the state’s inability to recognise that child rights violations indicate administrative failure and a rejection of our young ones’ existence. The Anti-Kidnap for Ransom Unit of the Lahore Organised Crime Unit and the Azad…