KARACHI, Jan 1: Speakers at a workshop here on Thursday expressed serious concern over a constant surge in child abuse cases across the country and attributed the trend mainly to poverty , indifference on the part of parents, deteriorating moral values, and deeply entrenched sense (among those having some sort of authority) of being non-answerable.

The speakers were discussing Child Abuse and its Prevention at the workshop held under the aegis of the Child Rights Abuse Committee, Pakistan Paediatrics Association, Sindh.

The participants represented jurists, teachers, journalists, paediatricians and child rights activists. They regretted that local children were not only abused in terms of neglect, but also being physically and emotionally exploited by their parents, teachers and other segments of society. Sexual exploitation was also assuming serious proportions, they observed.

The concern was registered in the backdrop of the fact that no legislation on punitive action existed to counter the perpetrators of physical and sexual abuse of children. The culprits generally appeared to be influential figures who were often found having escaped an action.

While an exact number of such cases could not be ascertained, the data compiled by certain NGOs and the reports appearing in media clearly spoke of an alarming level. On the basis of these facts, the speakers stressed the need for strict legislation and exemplary punishment to curb the menace.

Acknowledging the gradual transition in society during the recent past, as the community seems to be more susceptible in accepting the plight of children as a harsh reality and such cases being increasingly reported, the speakers also underscored the need for more concerted efforts and close coordination among concerned groups to help prevent children from the trauma besides sensitizing masses on the severe psychological and corporeal impact on the victims of the brutal experience.

Justice (r) Nasir Aslam Zahid, Uroosa Arjumand of the DHA School, Dr Habiba Hasan from the organizers, Ambreen Mirza and Khalid Rehman also emphasized on the exigency of holding similar debates at regular intervals across the country with maximum involvement of parents, religious groups and policy-makers.

Dr Aisha Mehnaz, President of the Pakistan Paediatric Association, Sindh, said that when sexually abused children were not treated, society must deal later with the resultant problems, including crime, suicide, addiction and more sexual abuse.

She said that multi-disciplinary approach, based on categories of ill-treatments meted out against children, was needed with major emphasis on creating awareness among public as a first step.

Referring to the fact that no official data existed on various types of child abuse and that source of information on physical abuse ranged from newspapers, police record, NGO reports to doctors' reports, she said that it was not only that children from both sexes were the victims but disabled children were four to 10 times more abused.

Dr Mehnaz also quoted data compiled by the Child Rights and Abuse Committee with reference to inmates at Juveniles Offenders Industrial School (juvenile jail).

It was found that six of them were jailed for murder, while four were arrested under the charge during the year 2002. Two children were apprehended for attempted murder, one for dacoity, eight for robbery, 19 for theft, six for burglary, three for vehicle snatching, two for kidnapping and rape and 83 for other crimes.

She said that mild personality changes to long lasting psychological damage, academic difficulties, lack of concentration span, distortion of thoughts, inability to form healthy social relationship, experiential restraints, anxiety, depression, insomnia, fear, nightmares, etc., exposed children to abuse. -APP