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Child abuse rampant in Pakistan

ashwin

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ISLAMABAD: Reportedly, one out of every three children is a victim of some kind of abuse in Pakistan. Most of these children are abused by
someone they know and trust, like a relative, family friend or a caretaker. But there are also cases where unfamiliar people are found guilty of sexual abuse of minors.

On Monday, an Anti-Terrorism Court (ATC) sentenced two traffic police officers to death for the kidnapping, rape and murder of a three-year-old girl, Sana, in Karachi.

Sana went missing last month, when she was playing with her friends near her house in Karachi's Korangi town. Sana's parents reported to the police and the investigation led to the arrest of two suspected traffic police constables, Bashir Ahmed and Noor Mohammad. The body of the victim girl was recovered from a trench in the area, after investigation of the accused following their arrest on July 5. Sana's clinical report said that she was subjected to sexual assault before her killing. The report also mentioned that both of her legs were broken.

The court judgment said all evidences prove that the accused kidnapped Sana on July 3, raped her and then killed her. "Therefore, they are sentenced to death", it said. "The ATC usually deals with kidnapping for ransom cases. But any case which is of interest of the public at large and is related to terrorism can come under the preview of the court", said Salahuddin Gandapur, a criminal law expert.

According to Lawyers for Human Rights and Legal Aid (LHRLA), a human rights organization, as many as 6,780 cases of child abuse were reported in Pakistan, last year. These include 4,251 boys and 2,529 girls.

The data collected by LHRLA says the highest number of the child abuse cases was reported in Punjab where 3,772 boys and girls were subjected to inhuman treatment. In Sindh, this figure was 2,412, NWFP stood at 498 while in Baluchistan 98 incidents of child abuse were reported. Among the cities, Multan remains at top of the list with 1,041 cases of child abuse, while in Karachi the number of reported cases were 516. In Gujranwala, as many as 820 child abuse cases were reported, Lahore 749, Sialkoat 701, Rawalpindi 699, Faisalabad 598, Peshawar 574, Larkana 478, Hyderabad 415 and in Sukkur 189 children were subjected to inhuman treatment.

To ensure the rights and protection of women and children in Pakistan, the national assembly unanimously passed a bill in the first week of August to protect violence against women and children. The bill, which is yet to be passed by the Senate, aims to stem domestic violence by requiring speedy criminal trials, issuing protection orders, creating grassroots-level protection committees, and punishing wife beaters with long jail terms and hefty fines.
 
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