Recent data published by the interior ministry has revealed that our capital city has had 200 cases of child sexual abuse registered between January 2021 and June 2025. While the high number of cases is a major crisis in its own right, what makes it even more harrowing is that this bitter reality exists in the country’s capital itself. At an estimated population of over 1 million, Islamabad fares ahead of all urban and rural cities with an 84 per cent literacy rate.
Research indicates that high literacy rates often correlate with decreased sexual violence within a region, as it improves community awareness and, subsequently, protective education. Therefore, with Islamabad at the forefront, the reality of child sexual abuse cases in other parts of the country is understood to be even grimmer and more unimaginable.
The number of recorded cases has always been reliant on reporting mechanisms and data collection, both of which are considerably better in Islamabad than in other parts of the country. In 2023, while Islamabad reported 161 cases of child sexual abuse in the first six months, Balochistan reported only 24. The truth is that rural areas indubitably have more cases of sexual violence, particularly against children, as compared to urban areas.
The interior ministry data, meanwhile, reveals that child sexual violence is pervasive in Islamabad – and Islamabad is merely the tip of the iceberg. When it comes to combatting sexual violence in Pakistan, there are several fronts desperately in need of development and metamorphosis, including social perception, conviction rates and support systems. But definite progress cannot be made without accurate facts and figures. Officials must expand their policing and reporting systems across the country so that when justice is finally served, not a single child remains unaccounted for.
Editorial published in the Express Tribune on 22nd August 2025
