LAHORE: An anti-terrorism court (ATC) on Monday handed over life sentences to two convicts in the Kasur child abuse case.

ATC special court’s judge Chaudhry Mohammad Ilyas heard the case and announced verdict against Haseem Amir and Faizan Mehmood. Both the convicts were awarded life imprisonment and a fine of Rs0.3 million each.

The case against these convicts was registered at Ganda Singhwala police station in Kasur District.

Also read: Kasur's child sex abuse victims struggle to rebuild their lives

Last year, at least 280 children were filmed being sexually abused by a gang of 25 men who used the hundreds of videos they produced to blackmail the youngsters' parents.

Most of the victims who are from Husain Khanwala village near Kasur are less than 14-years-old.

Their families had also been blackmailed by the gang since 2009.

The abusers allegedly tried to extort money from parents of victims, selling clips of the videos locally for 40 rupees each if they did not pay up.

A property dispute allegedly brought the issue to the surface.

Activists working to fight child sex abuse in Pakistan said the problem was widespread but difficult to quantify because victims were often unwilling to speak out.

According to a Dawn newspaper report, in recent years, more and more families in Pakistan have dared to speak out against sexual abuse of their children.

But the fight against predators remains in its infancy.

Powerful taboos, gaps in legislation and a lack of awareness continue to fuel a phenomenon that remains hidden, yet deeply embedded within society.