KARACHI, Sept 4: Any chance four-year-old Sara had of a normal life was stolen two years ago when her brother-in-law Kamran abducted, raped and mutilated her in a manner that defies belief. When recovered from his house, Sara’s limbs were broken, her eye damaged with a pair of scissors and her body gashed with razor blades. Her assailant was arrested but Sara’s widowed, uneducated mother was induced into an out of court settlement. Today, while Kamran is at liberty, Sara sits caged in silence, set apart from other children in a manner that can never be entirely comprehended.
Data compiled by Sahil, an Islamabad-based NGO, shows that not only is the incidence of child molestation rising, cases involving sexual abuse by immediate family members or relatives are also increasing.
The figures are grim: 36 such cases were reported in the media in 2003. By 2006, the figure had risen to 131 cases involving relatives plus 58 involving immediate family members. In the first six months of the current year, 76 cases involving relatives and 21 involving immediate family were reported.
In Karachi, War Against Rape (War) has, over 10 years, recorded 22 cases where children – both boys and girls – have been sexually abused or raped by a parent (this number does not include incidents involving a step-parent or sibling).
These figures are the tip of the iceberg for the crime usually goes undetected. Where discovered, there is a tendency to avoid disclosure or confrontation and few cases are reported. Of these, sentences are handed down in only a tiny number of cases. Societal attitudes and the fear of exposure often lead guardians to compromise.
Sara’s case went to court but the judge advised an out of court settlement. Her mother, who works as a labourer, agreed to accept Rs25,000 and Kamran was set free. Today, she finds it difficult to understand what happened and says that “Kamran was a religious man, he wanted to adopt Sara. I don’t know what got into his head.” The sad fact is that Kamran had a history of violence: he had earlier attempted to strangle both his wives.
Psychiatrists say that when children display signs of having been abused, adults tend to refuse to believe ill of another family member. Also, there is a pattern to the behaviour displayed by convicted paedophiles across the world: they study their prey and usually pick a child that is neglected or weak.
According to War psychologist Sarah Jafry, children display altered behavioural patterns when subjected to abuse. “They can develop eating or sleeping disorders and suffer nightmares,” she says. “They often become afraid of the dark and of being left alone, withdraw into themselves and start wetting their beds.” Ms Jafry reiterates that the responsibility for children’s safety lies with their parents or guardians. “Children are afraid that parents will punish them or no longer love them if they speak against a family member, a fear an abuser uses to his advantage,” she comments. “It is the parents’ duty to remain vigilant, particularly if children ask questions about details or practices that they ought to have no information on, such as sexual behaviour.”
Cases of incestuous rape are on the rise and it is a mistake to believe that the wealthy or the educated are safer, warns Dr Aisha Mahnaz, a paediatrics professor at the Dow University of Health Sciences and a member of child protection NGO Konpal. “Just last month, I was approached by two mothers, one from DHA and the other from Liaquatabad,” she recounts. “In one case, the girl was being abused by her biological father and in the other, the man was abusing not only his stepdaughter but also his own biological son.”
In most cases, the perpetrators of such crimes are known to be violent and child sexual abuse usually goes hand-in-hand with domestic violence. “But domestic violence, be it physical, sexual or psychological, against women is not taken seriously in our society,” says Dr Mahnaz.
In terms of child sexual abuse, the violence is not restricted to men. “Very little is reported in this area but psychiatrists do get such cases, which are of course confidential,” she informs.
Where abuse is detected, it is necessary to take immediate steps because otherwise, there is a great risk of endangering other children. An example is Ms S., who was sexually assaulted by her biological father when she was nine. When her mother found out, she tried to kill herself and S. The father, however, begged forgiveness and the case was never reported. Unsurprisingly, the abuse continued. S. says that when word spread in the family, she was assaulted by her maternal uncle and her cousin. Now married, she got in touch with War a year ago and is receiving rehabilitation help, but says that her younger sister is going through the same thing. There is an urgent need to not only formulate effective laws pertaining to such crimes but also improve access to justice and the protection of victims. The corruption and inefficiency rampant in the police department make citizens reluctant to approach the law. Where such cases reach the courts, there is a dearth of forensic and investigation methodology; for example, Karachi has no facility for carrying out DNA tests.
It is high time Pakistan recognised the issue of child sexual abuse and set up a two-pronged combat mechanism: legal action against the perpetrator of the crime and rehabilitation of the victim.
