KARACHI, Dec 10: “Research carried out in an institute in Karachi on intellectually-challenged children show that one out of three girls and one out of four boys is subjected to sexual violence at some point in their childhood,” said Cyma Ashraf, programme manager of the World Population Foundation (WPF).

She was presenting her study on “Extent of sexual abuse among intellectually-challenged children and young people” at a programme organised by the WPF and the Social Welfare Training Institute (SWTI) on the occasion of the International Human Rights Day on Monday.

SWTI Principal Shehzadi Baloch, WPF Country Representative Qadeer Baig, Kiran Vocational Centre’s Brother Younis, Family Educational Services Foundation’ Richard Geary and Unicef’s Zohra Nisar Ahmed also spoke at the programme where Qurban Ali Memon, Coordinator of the Social Welfare Department, Sindh, was the chief guest.

Ms Ashraf told the audience that an abuser of an intellectually-challenged child would get away by taking advantage of his victims’ impairment and this was why the incidence of sexual abuse among such children was five times higher than it was among the ordinary children. Such a victim, she added, could not explain what was being done to him/her.

Qadeer Baig in his introductory remarks said youth constitute 60 per cent of Pakistan’s population and. “Children in our country face numerous problems but they do not know how to avoid or tackle them,” he said.