Some lessons to learn from Kasur child abuse case
The unfolding of the case of child sexual exploitation in the village of Ganda Singh Wala near Kasur in Punjab is sending out shockwaves throughout Pakistan. The latest reports reveal that at least 280 children were sexually assaulted, forced to perform sexual acts with each other, tortured and filmed by a local paedophile gang. The unfortunate poor parents of the victims were then blackmailed for money. The films were also allegedly used by the culprits for commercial gains at a larger scale. Because of the immense pressure and threats from the gang, majority of the victims and their families lived in fear for years until recently when hundreds of local villages came forward and protested against the complicity of police and politicians to protect the criminals.
The incidents caused a deep pain and distress in Pakistani society with uproar from rights groups to put pressure on the government to provide justice to the victims and their families. At the same time, the issue has triggered a discourse on wider child abuse issue which is widespread in Pakistani society. The latest figures of Sahil, an organisation working against child sexual abuse in Islamabad, suggest that 3,508 cases of sexual exploitation against children were reported in 2014 which is an increment of 506 cases from 2013. It is perceived that there is a massive under reporting in this area and majority of the incidents go unreported because of fear of being targeted by the perpetrators, lack of trust in police, not enough awareness about the reporting mechanisms and a culture of shame when it comes to reporting such crimes.
The recent crimes might be the first ones to come under the limelight of media but the fact is that the children of Pakistan are facing various forms of abuse ranging from poor education and healthcare facilities to organised child labour and sexual exploitation. According to UNICEF, 35 percent of Pakistan’s population consists of children under the age of 14 and an estimated 3.6 million work predominantly in hazardous and exploitative conditions. These millions of economically active kids work day and night in industrial and domestic settings to earn little money to support themselves or their families. Most of the time their relatives receive payments for their hard work and hence pushing them into a never ending cycle of servitude.
The social acceptance of child labour commercially and domestically has increased the risks of child sexual exploitation. Children working in the domestic environment in particular are more vulnerable to all forms of abuse including exploitation of their labour, torture and sexual exploitation. The domestic environment also facilitates the perpetrators to get away with their crimes because of insufficient evidence and absence of witnesses. The stories of horrific crimes against children do appear in media but nothing much is done as perpetrators are usually influential people of the society. Pretty much similar trend was observed in the incidents in Kasur where abuse of power seems to be the prime factor to continue those dreadful crimes for several years.
The incidents in Kasur indicate individual, systematic and institutional failures that affected the lives of hundreds of children and their loved ones. It also allowed the culprits to perpetuate their vicious crimes against innocent children with impunity. There are indeed crucial lessons to learn from this case so that everyone can play their part to ensure safety and protection of children and young people in the country. Following are some of the lessons learnt from the Kasur’s incidents and steps that can help tackling wider chid sexual exploitation issues in Pakistan.
Don’t underplay scale and seriousness of the issue/Don’t confuse the issue
The most despicable aspect of the recent child sex abuse case in Kasur was a failed attempt from the government to underplay the scale and seriousness of the issue. Various sitting ministers including the Punjab Law Minister tried to confuse this horrendous issue with a land grabbing case. This version of the government backfired and sparked outrage in society against the local administration and police who were already accused of covering up the case. By doing so, the government and the local police put their credibility at stake. It’s time when the whole government machinery and the law enforcement agencies should ensure the speedy justice to the victims and provide them with every possible support they need instead of confusing this devastating issue.
Raising awareness
One of the major elements leading towards the child sexual exploitation is a lack of understanding of these issues. The taboos surrounding sex education only increase vulnerability of children who have no idea what to do if they experience such crimes. Schools and madrassas should make arrangement for required understanding of such issues and crimes along with preventive education. Some focused workshops can help children understand the complexity of issues around child sexual exploitation and how to tackle and report them.
Rebuilding confidence in the Police
Given the nature of these incidents, the police should have been extremely careful about every statement they made as ultimately these crimes speak loudly of their failure. Another extremely worrying aspect of these incidents is the alleged complicity of police in these crimes. It sends out a deeply disturbing message to the community when they find out that the people responsible for their protection were actually partners in those heinous crimes against their children.
Police as an institution needs a long way to go to rebuild trust that they have already lost. They need to actively engage with the community and ensure their children’s protection against all forms of abuse. This certainly requires radical changes in their contemporary working practices.
Support rights groups/NGOs
Children’s rights groups and NGOs working in the child protection arena need to be supported at the government and at the community level. They provide expert services necessary to support the victims and to put pressure on authorities for the protection and promotion of children’s rights. Their work is crucial to tackle the challenges of grave issues around child abuse in Pakistan.
Kasur’s incident is merely the tip of the iceberg that needs serious addressing. Children and young people are the future of Pakistan and we should make every effort to protect our future.