A leading children’s rights expert, Prof. Naeem Zafar, revealed that the child abuse cases reported in media are just ‘the tip of the iceberg’, as only a fraction of the 550,000 annual child rape cases in Pakistan ever become a media report.
He said this while speaking at the 26th Biennial International Pedtriatic Conference in Karachi from 28 to 30 October 2022, the News reported.
He further expressed that even though child protection laws are present in our legislature, the issue is not treated with enough seriousness as children are treated as their parents’ possessions instead of as separate human beings, adding that at least 88 percent of children are physically punished in Pakistan.
Dr. Tufail Muhammad, another child rights activist, stated that the children facing abuse at home in Pakistan often run away and become the subjects of even more abuse, violence, and exploitation.
On the other hand, the plan of action to protect children from Child Sexual Abuse (CSA), which was approved in 2006, has still not been implemented.
Aga Khan University (AKU)’s Dr. Kishwar Enam informed the attendants of the conference that one in every six children in the country is married off before the age of 15, adding that there is no column for the National Identity Card (NIC) in the Nikah Nama being used in Sindh, where marriage before the age of 18 is illegal.
Dr. Asad Ali, the Dean of Associate Research at AKU, advocated for developing a charter of minimal child rights separate from those in the West to safeguard Pakistani children from abuse and violence. He went on to say that there is a need for child-friendly hospitals and organizations in the country.
