The year 2022 witnessed a disturbing surge in reported child sexual abuse cases, reaching 4,253 incidents, with 365 reported to the police in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa.
This was revealed during a training workshop on child abuse prevention, organized by the Friedrich Naumann Foundation Pakistan (FNF) in Peshawar. The workshop drew 30 attendees representing various stakeholders in the region, including teachers, journalists, social workers, lawyers, students, and relevant departments.
Among those present were Muhammad Anwar, FNF Pakistan’s Head of Program, child rights expert Imran Takkar, and senior journalist Shamim Shahid. Their objective was to raise awareness and foster collective efforts to combat this grave issue.
Imran Takkar, who has worked to raise awareness about child abuse and its prevention, shed light on different aspects of child abuse and stressed the urgent need for action.
He disclosed that 4,253 child abuse cases were reported in 2022, indicating that 12 children fell victim to sexual abuse daily—a distressing 30 percent increase compared to the previous year. Furthermore, he highlighted the severe psychological consequences that victims endure, growing up in fear and struggling with mental health issues.
FNF’s Head of the program delved into the symptoms of molestation, which include nightmares, depression, abnormal fear, attempts to run away, and inappropriate sexual behavior for the child’s age.
He emphasized that 50 percent of child abuse victims knew their abusers, and these perpetrators could belong to any class, caste, religion, or ethnic group. Abusers might be men, women, children, acquaintances, or even strangers to the child.
Senior Journalist Shamim Shahid emphasized that the country’s growing population and political instability lead to economic problems, forcing parents to send children to work instead of providing education. He stressed the state’s responsibility to protect children’s rights and highlighted the need for effective implementation of laws to reduce child labor and ensure education for all.
Source: ProPakistani