SCARRED children represent a sad truth: a nation that fails to guarantee child safety hurtles towards poverty and inequity. The interior ministry has informed the Senate that out of Islamabad’s 567 cases of sexual abuse registered between 2021 and June 2025, 200 involved children — 93 of these young victims were boys and 108 were girls. According to the ministry, 222 suspects were arrested but only 12 were convicted; 163 remain under trial and 15 have been acquitted with 26 still at large. Another 266 children were reported missing in the capital from 2022 to 2025 — 153 males and 120 females. The ministry claims that of the 135 accused who were taken into custody, two were sentenced, 21 walked free and 103 await trial.

Children routinely endure exploitation and sexual abuse at the hands of predators who cultivate environments of impunity. Six years after the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Bill, 2019, was passed, followed by other legislation, to expedite investigation and punishment, we have not come very far. Grisly figures — Sahil reported 3,364 child abuse cases in 2024 from across the country –— show a deeper malaise that feeds on power. Scores of assault victims are silenced by families for reasons of shame, adding to the problem of underreporting. To stem the rot, the government, along with enforcing the laws, must set up reporting mechanisms in health and education facilities so that professionals report these crimes on behalf of hesitant families. Sufferers and their kin must be assured that identities will be protected as anonymity is central to eradicating this menace. It prevents out-of-court settlements and raises conviction rates. Confronting child abuse requires abandoning violent punishment and adopting rehabilitative justice through understanding criminal psychology, spreading awareness and creating rehabilitation services. The trust deficit created by delayed trials, pending cases and illiteracy must be addressed to boost faith in the judicial system.

Published in Dawn, August 22nd, 2025