Matrix Report
“Child abuse is everywhere. Even in the developed countries where there are massive safety nets and ample laws”, says Manizeh Bano, Executive Director of Sahil, a national NGO that works on the issue of child sexual abuse.
Very recently the local media reported the case of Sohail Ayaz, a child abuser who confessed to the authorities of having abused young boys over the years. This forced us to think what is being done by the government and society to help protect children from being sexually abused. Also we wanted learn whether there were policies and laws in place to deal with the abusers and are there any mechanisms to provide justice to the victims? We also wanted to learn about what was being done to make children aware of this menace?
To have answers for all the above and getting to know more about the issues, we decided to talk to Dr. Manizeh Bano, an expert on the issue. Below are a few excerpts from a talk Matrix team had with her.
Is child sexual abuse on the rise in Pakistan?
A number of organizations and individuals are now talking openly about the issue of child abuse, which earlier was considered a “taboo”. Media also is reporting more on the issue and since the influence of the media is very strong therefore people think that the cases are on the rise. And because the judiciary has also been awarding stricter punishments to the convicts, other victims are being encouraged to report the case which is why we read/watch about these cases practically everyday. There are court cases where criminals have been given death sentences, or have been jailed for life and as a result, the victims families are trusting the courts more and hence reporting the cases.
The Ministry of Human Rights, and the Punjab Government have taken the issue seriously and have incorporated the subject into school curriculum by teaching “Meri Hifazat” to adolescents in schools. The book talks about prevention an protection of child sexual abuse.
Similarly, the government has established a Child Protection Unit in Kasur, providing psychological support to victims and families. Sahil provides these families with legal support, to bring the culprits to justice.
Pakistan’s Penal Code has also included new laws with definitions and frameworks to tackle child sexual abuse. They discuss several aspects, such as pornography and voyeurism.
Are there any challenges in dealing with the cases of abuse?
While the awareness has increased through the efforts made by the civil society and the governement, the major problem we face is the implementation of laws and investigation procedures. The investigation officers need to be trained. All evidence must be gathered, recorded and preserved. Secondly, another major issue is with pornography. Most cases, if not all, relate to pornography. Such was the case with Sohail Ayaz. I believes most cases from Kasur, Jhang, Jarranwala, Sargodha and Rawalpindi are related to pornography, and they do not involve a single person, or a group’ but they are mafias. These gangs, who may be influential, protect the criminals, by threatening parents. Since they are not confined to one specific geographical area, the crime ring seems to functional all over the country.
There are still problems with reporting. Parents try not to report these crimes due to cultural constraints. Since most of the offenders are close relatives, friends or acquaintances of the victim, reporting about people the parents may have known for years, becomes difficult.
Sahil, reported 1304 cases of child sexual abuse in September this year. Out of the total 729 girls and 525 boys were abused. 12 cases were reported from madrassahs.
Criminal proceedings are also a challenge, where court cases take up a lot of time, energy and resources. They have an emotional toll too on people, and hence makes them give up easily.
Yet another painful area to discuss is “incest” i.e. child abuse by parents – a phenomenon that exists in Pakistan. That has hardly been addressed, and laws have not been able to protect children with abusive parents.
Is there a need to have more laws on child sexual abuse?
I think there are ample laws to deal with the issue in Pakistan and our laws are “good”. The existing laws are not the problem, but the implementation. We need better implementation for which we must have a trained and sensitized police force.
While we need to train the police force, a major responsibility also goes to the parents and teachers, who need to empower and educate children, so they may not fall prey to the crimes of sexual abuse. Since statistically, around 90% of all child molesters are acquainted to the victims. Data also shows that 59 % of the child molesters happen to be the victims’ friends, caregivers, teachers etc., while 34 % are close family members. It is therefore necessary to educate your child on protection from abuse from a very early age.
