PESHAWAR: A special committee of the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly on Wednesday proposed an increase in imprisonment for child sexual abuse and pornography from seven years to 14 years.

It, however, couldn’t make any decision regarding public hanging of offenders convicted for sexually abusing and murdering children.

In the backdrop of the frequent cases of child abuse and murder, majority of the lawmakers in the previous session of the assembly had demanded public hanging of the culprits.

The committee met at the assembly’s secretariat here with Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly Speaker Mushtaq Ahmad Ghani in the chair. Minister for law and parliamentary affairs Sultan Mohammad Khan, MPAs Sardar Hussain Babak, Hamayun Khan, Aisha Bano, Dr Asia and Dr Sumera Shamus and senior officials of the law and other relevant departments attended the meeting.

Law minister Sultan Mohammad Khan told Dawn that the Supreme Court in its judgment had observed that public hanging was a violation of the fundamental rights of the people and therefore, the special committee did not approve public hangings.

No decision on public hanging for child abusers, killers

“The government may seek opinion of the Supreme Court if needed,” he said, adding that under the Pakistan Penal Code, the child abuse and murder convicts were liable to death penalty.

He said the draft bill would be sent to the cabinet, which was likely to approve it in the next meeting.

The committee approved major amendments to the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare Commission Act, 2010.

It approved an increase in jail term for the people convicted of child seduction, abuse and pornography from seven years to 14 years.

The committee also discussed the recommendations of the subcommittee.

It approved the Rs5 million fine for child pornography and an increase in fine from Rs500,000 to Rs5 million for convicted child trafficker.

The committee recommended that a model court conduct the trial of child abusers to decide the case within a month. The government will set up special desks in police stations for registering cases of child abuse.

Addressing the committee, Speaker Mushtaq Ghani said the social welfare department in collaboration with education and other departments should begin a campaign to sensitise parents and other segments of society.

He said the state-run television should support awareness programme, while the government should include the vital issue in curriculum.

The committee recommended that all departments establish daycare centres in offices to facilitate working women to bring their minors to offices.

The speaker said the bill would be introduced in the assembly very soon.

Published in Dawn, February 20th, 2020