QUETTA: Balochistan Home Minister Mir Ziaullah Langove has urged parents and students to help the government end acts of sexual violence against children.

Speaking at a programme on child abuse in the Chamber of Commerce and Industry, he said preventing child sexual abuse in educational institutions was important, but blaming the government for the menace was not fair.

He said seminars should be held to create awareness about child sexual abuse and courses on the subject included in education curriculum.

The minister said a committee had been formed to identify elements involved in the University of Balochistan sexual harassment scandal.

Unfortunately, he said, the incident forced parents to stop sending their children to universities and other educational institutions.

Focal Person for Federal Ombudsman Secretariat Syeda Waqar Ul Nisa Hashmi briefed the participants on incidents and causes of sexual violence against children across the country.

She said there were multiple causes of sexual violence against children.

She said 55.17 per cent of cases were reported with unknown motives, while 20.68pc of children were sexually assaulted by friends and others.

Ms Hashmi said that majority of victims of sexual violence had been kidnapped from outside their homes and taken to under-construction buildings from where they were recovered alive or dead.

“Sexual violence usually took place between 5pm and 8pm. The main reason for increase in these incidents was easy access to pornographic videos,” she said.

She said the situation had worsened as parents and children lacked awareness, cases were being settled outside courts and witnesses felt insecure.

“Steps are being taken to establish child protection courts, which will not only help prevent sexual violence against children but also ensure speedy trial,” she said and added that one-stop facilitation centres would also be set up in this regard.

Speaking on the occasion, member of the Balochistan Assembly Naseer Ahmed Shahwani said that tribal traditions and values considered the child abuse a taboo.

He said a committee had been formed to investigate the Balochistan University harassment scandal, but the incident had a very negative impact on students.

Mr Shahwani said most of parents had stopped their children from going to the university, relatives of the abused children were reluctant to talk to TV channels and the media also preferred not to talk about child abuse in Balochistan.

Published in Dawn, December 27th, 2019