Child sex abuse is one of the many taboos within Pakistani society, and is shrouded in layers of false piety and religious dogma. It is one of those issues that get talked about when a report by the HRCP or another NGO is published, or the electronic media creates hype about a victim, going into all the morbid details. The harsh reality is that more then sixty percent of the cases do not even get reported.
According to data collected by various rights groups and NGOs in 2007, at least 2,321 children were abused; in 2008 approximately 1,839; 2,012 in 2009; whereas in 2010 only in six months at least 1,216 children were abused throughout the country. This puts the number of abused children at 2,000 per annum. While the figures are staggering, this is just the tip of the iceberg. Many cases of child abuse are never reported because of fear and stigma, and the ones that do get reported are due to the extremity of the case which includes rape, sodomy and murder.
Children between the ages six and eleven are the most vulnerable and parents need to maintain strict surveillance for ensuring their safety. But in those unfortunate cases where the care-giver is the abuser, it mostly goes unreported. Therefore, a vast majority of the incidents include incest, where minors get abused at home by fathers, brothers, cousins and uncles, as well as people considered trustworthy at home or outside.
It is also difficult to report if the culprit is a close-kin or a family friend, including people like maulvis. According to a doctor at the Karachis Civil Hospital, several cases of physically and sexually abused children are brought to public hospitals on a daily basis. We had a case here where a few madrassah children were brought to the hospital with severe bruising and malnourishment. We are still investigating the incident, he said, adding that most paedophiles are male. That said, a small percentage of female abusers exists as well.
While for many, child abuse may only appear as statistics and a news story, for Meher* it still remains a nightmare. A Pakistani housewife, who lived in UAE as a child, had a Quran tutor who would abuse her sexually on a daily basis until she complained to her mother. The maulvi was immediately sent packing and Meher was never able to read the Quran.
But her story does not end there. Not only did she suffer abuse, but also her only son faced the same trauma in Karachi. I felt like killing the man, but I just kept my temper under control and helped my son by giving him moral support and getting rid of the mullah as quickly as possible, she exclaimed. However, she did not report the incident like many others.
Other major hubs for children to be abused are the religious seminaries where parents send their children so they have at least one mouth less to feed. But these cases are the least reported as their parents feel they have no choice but to remain quiet.
Saif*, though not from a poor family, was sent to a seminary in North Nazimabad for studying the Quran. I was considered a good student, until the day the Qari sahib took me to his chamber, he said, shuddering while explaining the whole incident. Luckily for Saif, his older cousin saw the man taking the child to his room and immediately took action. Although Saif, now a successful engineer, was exposed to the situation for a very brief period, still feels uncomfortable talking about the incident. Unfortunately, the culprit was not handed over to the police, and was spared after a public beating and head-shaving ceremony.
Incidents of sexual abuse in madrassahs are also often hidden behind physical abuse by the caretakers of the children. Ahsans* six-year old brother was beaten and left at the door of their apartment, bleeding and unconscious. He was canned and whipped by the maulvi because he did not give in to his demands, said Ahsan, adding that he did not know if the actual reason was sexual abuse. Luckily for the madrassah people, this incident was also not reported and they are still running their business unhindered.
Muhammad Rauf, who is a teacher at one of the biggest religious seminaries in the city claims it is not possible to root out the problem since almost the entire staff is involved in such activities. A lot of men are living in celibacy in these madrassahs and therefore it is understandable that they at times behave in this manner, he explained, while justifying that since 70 percent of the sex offenders are non-religious, pinpointing only the clergy was not logical. Many children from the seminaries can be found on the streets at night providing services as prostitutes, he further revealed, adding that the children themselves can be blamed in certain cases due to the advent of media.
Saima Qamar a clinical psychologist said that child prostitution is a social misnomer and if kids are doing it themselves, even then it comes under child abuse. Moreover, she added, “When children are abused sexually, it impairs their ability to trust as adults and also impairs sexual inclination which may move them towards homosexual behaviour.”
Dr Atta Barech, an expert on sexual health and pain management, said that sexually abused children are at a higher risk of developing psychiatric disorders. Children may experience lifelong patterns of depression, estrangement, somatisation, paranoia, anxiety, low self-esteem, inappropriate or troubled relationships, or a lack of empathy, he said.
Many children have difficulty in adjusting emotionally and psychologically and are unable to trust, participate and achieve happiness in interpersonal relationships, Barech said.
Proper counselling and psychological rehabilitation are the only remedies to offer for these children to resolve the complex feelings of guilt and further victimisation, he said. However, none of these can be achieved unless children are empowered enough to voice their concerns and fears whenever they are abused either physically or sexually.
*Names have been changed to protect privacy
