Never expect a sane response from an insane system
Our children are our greatest treasure. They are our future. Those who abuse them tear at the fabric of our society and weaken our nation. – Nelson Mandela.
Very few things shock us anymore; we as a nation seem to have become immune to all the inappropriate things happening around us. The tendency to ignore a problem or sweep it under the carpet has cost us dearly. We have seen the most serious crimes happening under our nose, by those who present a danger to individuals, society and the nation, yet we have never taken a stand, thinking the fire is in someone else’s backyard, not ours.
So, should we be surprised at Pakistan’s worst ever child sex abuse and extortion scandal? Just the thought of hundreds of children being filmed, while being sexually abused and their videos being sold in the market, is nauseating. Imagine terrorising children who resisted with drug injections, ropes and other torture methods, then forcing them to steal cash and jewellery from their own families, out of fear and desperation. The words of Nelson Mandela echo in my mind, “The true character of a society is revealed in how it treats its children.” In our case, truer words were never spoken.
The barbaric stories of crimes against children should make the Punjab government hang their heads in shame but we find them downplaying the seriousness of the issue, in spite of the horrific revelations of the victims and confessions of the accused. These and many related crimes can’t take place without the patronage of high ups, and if the administration was unaware of this heinous crime, then they have no right to govern. It seems like the culprits of this horrendous child abuse scandal are aware of the fact that no law against child pornography exists in Pakistan and this just might become their “get out of jail free card.” Let’s observe a two minute silence for the folly and insensitivity of our leaders.
Should we be surprised at Pakistan’s worst ever child sex abuse and extortion scandal?
The heinous crime committed in the Punjab town of Kasur highlights the fact that successive governments running the state of Pakistan “were and are” ignorant, inept, corrupt and callous and they have miserably failed to protect and safeguard Pakistani children from violence, exploitation and abuse.
It also shows how the state and successive governments have abandoned the weak and vulnerable families at large; how the underprivileged have become pawns in the hands of street predators and how the powerful can manipulate and get away with murder in the land of the pure. Unfortunately in our country the function of law is to keep those who hold power, in power. For the common man, there is no such thing as justice, only injustice.
Don’t we know that our future generations have been neglected to the degree that they have fallen into the hands of drug dealers, human traffickers, beggars’ mafia, child molesters, criminal gangs, extremist groups and terrorists? Haven’t we seen them become victims of injustice, centuries-old traditions and evil customs? Don’t we see them fading all over the country due to lack of medical facilities and food supplies? Didn’t we see them dying in Tharparkar, due to starvation, malnutrition and epidemics? Doesn’t the massacre of terror-hit Army Public School of Peshawar haunt us till this day?
Don’t we know that children are easy targets of violent abuses and being used for illegal purposes? Don’t we see the religious political parties using them as tools to gain street power? Haven’t we heard of child labour, child trafficking, child molestation, child kidnappings, child pornography, domestic violence, incitement to terrorism and related offences?
Should it surprise us to learn that the Kasur child abuse case came to national attention only when hundreds of people hailing from Husain Khan Wala demonstrated against police failure to arrest the gang suspected of raping hundreds of children? Our police, being true servants of their masters, and not the public, spend most of their time hushing up the victims and covering up for wrongdoers.
Should we be shocked to know that one of the accused was an ex police officer, the other a health officer and two employees of the high court and session court were also involved? Does it surprise us to hear Punjab Law Minister Rana Sanaullah Khan linking the issue with land dispute and urging media to do responsible reporting on the matter and shamelessly admitting that child abuse cases were being reported in Kasur for several years? Really, the PML-N has been ruling Punjab for the last seven years, how come they never took notice of it? Incidentally whether it’s a blasphemy case, minority harassment or any other crime, it always turns out to be a property dispute in good old Punjab. Like they say, never expect a sane response from an insane system.
Do those in the echelons of power realise that all types of child abuse and neglect leave lasting scars and an abused, molested and neglected child lives only to repent their birth? That failing to provide love, support or guidance is destructive to the child’s emotional development, sense of well-being and self-esteem? Do they understand that this young generation will be the future of Pakistan and leaders of tomorrow?
Should we be shocked to know that one of the accused was an ex police officer, the other a health officer and two employees of the high court and session court were also involved?
Everywhere we see the consequences of neglect of the federal and provincial governments, yet we watch like silent spectators and do nothing about it. But when it comes to our kids, we can’t afford to look the other way. If they hurt, so do we. And if the people, at the helm of affairs, wish to ignore the plight of our young children and want to shield the perpetrators of crimes against them, then they should know the suffering of these innocent children will haunt them one day. One reaps what one sows in this life.
The incident has forced into the open an issue that the federal and provincial governments have totally ignored; providing an infrastructure for welfare and protection of children for all time to come. As MNA I introduced two bills, one for the establishment of the National Commission for Child Rights [The National Commission for Child Rights Bill, 2012], and [The Protection of Children Bill, 2012] in the National Assembly, but our rulers and the members of parliament seem least interested. The bills are still lying in parliament and if any member wishes to introduce them, they can.
In Pakistan, every leader cites the example of Nelson Mandela and some even go to the extent of equating themselves to the great leader, but the truth is that not a single leader can stand as tall as him and none hold in their bosom the great love he had for young people. For this very reason, in South Africa, Nelson Mandela is called ‘tata’ by the children. Tata means ‘father’; a fitting tribute indeed. Maybe that’s what our bruised souls need, a loving “tata.”
