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Express Tribune
4 hours ago
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Rising child crime rate, convictions lack
Listen to article A total of 68 cases of child abduction and 48 cases of sexual abuse were reported in the federal capital, among eight documented categories of crimes against children, including trafficking, child marriage, child labour, physical abuse, murder, and child pornography, based on the data from Islamabad Police under the Right to Information law. According to the latest report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO), Islamabad recorded the highest number of reported crimes against children in the categories of abduction and sexual abuse, yet the conviction rate remained negligible in 2024. Despite case challans being submitted, most cases remain under investigation or trial, with very few resulting in convictions. SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas said data on crimes against children should be regularly made public by police and courts under the Right of Access to Information Act 2017, to strengthen transparency and accountability. The data further shows 14 cases of physical abuse, six of child marriage, and two each of child trafficking, murder, and child pornography. The report also notes that several cases were withdrawn, reflecting serious gaps in investigation quality, evidence collection, and the protection of victims and witnesses. Abbas said that the low conviction rate highlights deep-rooted flaws in the justice system. He warned that crimes against children will persist unabated unless urgent reforms are implemented in investigation, prosecution, and victim support mechanisms. He recommended the establishment of specialised investigative units, fast-track courts, and robust victim and witness protection programmes to ensure swift and effective justice.
Al Jazeera
29-07-2025
- Al Jazeera
Father, ex-husband, among 9 arrested in alleged honour killing in Pakistan
The father and ex-husband of a victim allegedly killed on the orders of a local council are among nine people arrested in eastern Pakistan in connection with the young woman's death. Police said Sidra Bibi, 18, was killed allegedly on the orders of a local council of elders in the garrison city of Rawalpindi, after she married a man of her own choosing. Her relatives buried her body and flattened the land to erase evidence of a grave, police official Aftab Hussain said Monday. The victim was suffocated using a pillow placed over her face, he added. The arrests came after authorities exhumed the body and carried out an autopsy, which confirmed she had been tortured before being killed. The case has drawn widespread condemnation in a country where killings with such motivations are still common. The independent Human Rights Commission of Pakistan said 405 women were killed in 2024 in such cases, compared with 226 in 2023. 'The actual number is believed to be higher due to underreporting,' said Sadia Bukhari, a member of the commission's council. According to Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), an Islamabad-based independent organisation, more than 32,000 cases of gender-based violence were reported nationwide last year, including 547 similar murders. Killings in which family members kill women for actions perceived as bringing shame to the family have increased in recent years. Last week, police in southwestern Balochistan province arrested 13 suspects after a video shared online appeared to show a young couple being shot dead for marrying without their families' approval. Police confirmed the authenticity of the footage, which went viral, saying the killings happened in May near Balochistan's capital, Quetta. In January, police arrested a Pakistani man suspected of killing his US-born 15-year-old daughter for refusing to stop posting videos on TikTok, a platform with more than 54 million users in the country. 'These so-called honour killings reveal a deep-rooted mindset that views women as the property of men,' Bukhari said. 'Most women in Pakistan face discrimination from childhood through adulthood.'
Express Tribune
12-06-2025
- Politics
- Express Tribune
Child workers driven toward education: CM
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has said that Punjab is ensuring the protection of children's rights by establishing the first Virtual Child Safety Station. She stated in a message on the World Day Against Child Labour, "The Punjab government is taking effective measures against child labour. Children are being freed from forced labour and driven towards attaining education." According to a statement, a team of experts in the virtual centre is tasked with carrying out search operations for missing children, getting in touch with their families and verifying their credentials. The centre has proven effective in bringing back home not only missing children but also elderly people. A helpline has been activated for missing children and citizens of other provinces as well. At least 59,635 people have so far contacted the Virtual Safety Centre to complain about missing persons, of which 53,542 cases have been resolved. The chief minister highlighted, "Whether children belong to Punjab or any other province, they are all dear to us." She maintained, "In case of disappearance, we are determined to fulfill our responsibility of bringing every child home safe and sound. Every citizen of the country can benefit from Pakistan's first Virtual Centre for Child Safety." She outlined, "We are ready to utilise all available state resources for the safe return of missing children." On the other hand, only 37 per cent of the total 895 cases of child labour reported across the country in 2024 resulted in convictions. This was revealed in the Sustainable Social Development Organisation's (SSDO) annual report. Punjab reported the highest number of cases at 450, followed closely by Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 426. In contrast, Sindh and Balochistan showed alarmingly low reporting rates. SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas said that child labour is not just a legal violation but a moral crisis that endangers the very fabric of the society. He said child labour is a crime that extinguishes the hopes and potential of future generations. "It is a stain on our conscience and we cannot move forward as a nation while allowing our children to be trapped in cycles of exploitation." He emphasised the urgent need for the government to strengthen child protection institutions and implement a cohesive national strategy to address the root causes of child labour. "We need a coordinated, inter-provincial policy framework, backed by modern technology to identify risks early and ensure timely intervention," he added. He also called for greater investment in education and social welfare to ensure that every child has the opportunity to grow in a safe and nurturing environment. Meanwhile, the Dolphin Squad rescued a teenage girl who had been kidnapped from Ravi Road and arrested the suspected abductor. According to a spokesperson, an operation was conducted in the Kot Kamboh area, where the squad rescued the girl and apprehended the suspect. According to the police, the girl had been kidnapped on May 23 by 25-year-old Junaid from Sham Pura. The kidnapping case was registered at Ravi Road police station. "The Dolphin Squad conducted a targeted operation based on intelligence reports and traced the victim to Kot Kamboh," said the spokesperson. The team informed the girl's parents about her recovery and transferred her to Nawan Kot police station for legal proceedings regarding the case. The arrested suspect will be presented before a magistrate and the investigation is ongoing.
Express Tribune
23-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Punjab sees alarming rise in GBV
A recent report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) has exposed a disturbing surge in violence against women across Punjab in 2024 —and an alarming failure of the justice system to deliver accountability regarding gender-based violence (GBV). Lahore led the province with 532 reported rape cases last year, followed by Faisalabad (340) and Kasur (271). Yet convictions were vanishingly rare: just two in Lahore and six in Kasur, with no convictions in any other district. When adjusted for population, Kasur (25.5 per 100,000) and Pakpattan (25 per 100,000) emerged as the most dangerous for women. Honor killings also spiked in 2024: Faisalabad recorded 31 cases, Rajanpur and Sargodha 15 eachand not a single perpetrator was convicted. Per capita rates were highest in Rajanpur (2.9) and Khushab (2.5), underscoring the deadly grip of harmful cultural norms in rural areas. Kidnappings were the most frequently reported crime. Lahore alone logged 4,510 cases, yet secured only five convictions. Faisalabad (1,610), Kasur (1,230), Sheikhupura (1,111), and Multan (970) followed, all with zero convictions. Per capita, Lahore topped the list at 128.2 per 100,000, followed by Kasur (115.8) and Sheikhupura (103.6). Domestic violence cases reached 561 in Gujranwalathe highest in the provincefollowed by Sahiwal (68) and Lahore (56), again with no convictions. Gujranwala's per capita rate of 34.8 far exceeded that of Chiniot (11), revealing the growing scope of domestic abuse in both urban and rural settings. Compiled from Right to Information (RTI) requests, the SSDO report analyzes district level data on rape, honor killings, kidnappings, and domestic violence. SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas praised improved police reporting.
Express Tribune
14-04-2025
- Express Tribune
Pakistan sees alarming spike in violence against children
Pakistan is witnessing a harrowing rise in violence against children, with 7,608 cases reported across the country so far in 2024 – an average of 21 incidents per day according to a new report by the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO). The report highlights a deep-rooted child protection crisis and exposes critical failures in the legal system, with conviction rates for most categories of abuse remaining under 1%. These alarming findings come from SSDO's latest publication, Mapping Study on Violence Against Children in Pakistan 2024, which draws on data obtained from provincial police departments through Right to Information (RTI) laws. The cases reported span a range of violence, including physical and sexual abuse, kidnapping, child trafficking, child marriage, and child labour. Of the total cases, 2,954 reported sexual abuse, 2,437 reported kidnapping, 895 were related to child labour, 683 were physical abuse cases, 586 were incidents of child trafficking, and 53 were cases of child marriage. While child trafficking and child labour cases saw relatively higher conviction rates of 45% and 37% respectively, the vast majority of cases – including sexual abuse, kidnapping and child marriage – saw negligible or no convictions, with child marriage cases resulting in zero convictions nationwide. The report notes that the conviction needs to be verified because, as per the Prevention of Trafficking in Persons Act 2018, the punishment in case of child trafficking is a Rs1 million fine and 10 years of imprisonment. However, in most cases, the judiciary does not enforce punishments outlined in the PTPA, opting instead to impose nominal fines of a few thousand rupees and release the accused. Punjab reported the highest number of child abuse cases, with 6,083 incidents - including 2,506 cases of sexual abuse and 2,189 kidnappings - but these resulted in only 28 and 4 convictions, respectively. The province also recorded 455 cases of physical abuse, leading to just 7 convictions. Child trafficking accounted for 457 cases, with 267 resulting in convictions, and 450 cases of child labour led to 66 convictions. However, none of the 26 child marriage cases reported in Punjab led to any convictions. Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa followed with 1,102 cases, including 208 physical abuse cases and 366 sexual abuse cases, yet none of these resulted in convictions. The province reported 93 kidnapping cases, six child trafficking cases, three cases of child marriage, and 426 child labour cases, with convictions occurring only in the child labour category, totalling 267. Sindh recorded 354 cases in total, including 19 cases each of physical and sexual abuse, 152 kidnappings, 121 trafficking cases, and 24 cases of child marriagenone of which resulted in a single conviction. In Balochistan, 69 cases were reported, including one of physical abuse, 63 sexual abuse cases, and 43 kidnappings. The province reported just two convictions each for sexual abuse and kidnapping, with no convictions for the remaining categories. SSDO Executive Director Syed Kausar Abbas said that the data was collected by using the Right of Access to Information laws of the respective provinces from the police departments. He stressed that the reported numbers represent only the visible tip of a much larger problem, with many cases going unreported.
