ISLAMABAD: The ongoing discourse about the legal and social protections of minors reflects that the current framework for protecting children in Pakistan is fundamentally inadequate. By calling for a more robust implementation of children's rights, Pakistan is admitting that a child's welfare should not be an issue of familial discretion but a guaranteed legal entitlement, a report has detailed.
The current situation requires a systematic effort to support the rights of minors, moving beyond the performative nature of occasional policy announcements. The failure to protect children from exploitation, neglect or abuse is not only a social tragedy but also a systemic failure of governance, according to a report in Pakistan-based The Nation. The absence of a structured support system ensures that the cycle of vulnerability is perpetuated, resulting in children living in a world that offers them little more than the bare minimum of care.
"A childhood stripped of basic rights and security leads to lifelong psychological and physical scars, which in turn snowball into a generational trap of poverty. When a child is denied education, health, and security, they are effectively locked into a socio-economic bracket that is nearly impossible to escape. This creates a cycle where the poverty of the parents is inherited by the children, not as a matter of fate, but as a result of systemic failure," a report in The Nation mentioned.
Earlier this month, a report detailed that Pakistan continues to grapple with widespread crimes against children amid long-overdue criminal justice reforms and a poor conviction rate. The state's denial and apathy have prevented meaningful action against the scourge of child abuse and its lifelong consequences.
It cautioned that this inaction poses a “ticking time bomb” for young generations. Citing the 2025 Cruel Numbers report from Sahil (an Islamabad-based organisation that monitors gender-based violence), Pakistani daily Dawn highlighted a grim picture of the dangers children face in Pakistan.
As per the findings, at least 2,003 child sexual abuse cases were registered across the country, with Punjab recording the highest number with 1,549 cases, followed by Sindh with 330, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 91, and 33 cases in other regions. Additionally, more than 4,200 children experienced sexual violence in 2024, while most cases go unreported.
“As a disturbing number of cases frequently appear in the media, a tragedy unfolds before us. Even so, child safety, despite censure from rulers and activists, helplines, and laws to protect children from all violence, remains in shambles. Crimes against children are endemic because reforms in the criminal justice system are overdue and the conviction rate is pitiful," an editorial in Dawn noted.
“While violence is a reality for a billion of the world’s innocent who endure physical, emotional, or sexual abuse annually, Pakistan is a paradox where there is a surfeit of laws to shield children,” it added.
Highlighting the scale of child abuse in Pakistan, the report said horrific incidents—from the 2015 child pornography scandal involving hundreds of boys and girls in Kasur to the rape and murder of young Zainab Ansari in 2018 and other similarly gruesome cases—triggered the "Kasur Hamara Hai" movement and prompted a series of legislative measures. However, despite repeated promises, it said, the authorities have failed to bring about any significant reassessment of priorities.
--IANS
