Let us take the courage to save the lives of our children in every way:

Let us take the courage to save the lives of our children in every way:   By Sadia Wali

Rape, murder of minor Zainab sparks barbarity. We need to raise our voice against this severe brutality. My eyes are clouded with tears, every time I see her innocent face. Violence against women and girls—including rape and child sexual abuse, murder, honor killings, acid attacks have become routine news now. In many countries these are considered as criminal offense punishable by law. Over the years, child sexual assaults and killings in Pakistan have been severely neglected.

The report of child abuse (2016) by Sahil NGO identifies Pakistan as the 11th country of the world with highest rate of child abuse/ sexual assault with 2500 cases each year and 3rd most dangerous country in the world for women. 4,139 children were sexually abused and assaulted in Pakistan in 2016. This figure shows that approximately 11 children were abused every day in 2016. The report said that children between the age groups of 6-10 and 11-15 were the victims of sexual abuse and assault. Such cases were mostly reported in Punjab (2,627). Kasur, adjoining city to the provincial capital of Punjab Province, has become the center of massive child sexual abuse since 2014 and 2015, estimating over 3500 cases of child molestation solely in 2014, of which 67% were reported in rural areas. In Sindh, reported cases were 987.  156 cases of sexual abuse were reported in Islamabad, 141 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, 166 in Balochistan and 9 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir.

 As per Child Protection, in 2017 there has been 1764 cases of child abuse across Pakistan and 12 cases of rape and murder of minor girls all aged between 5 to 8 years in Kasur. The recent tragic case of Zainab’s kidnapping, rape and murder is one of these 12 cases.

    

The body of seven-year-old Zainab was found in a rubbish dump several days after she went missing. She had been raped and strangled. The minor girl, a resident of Road Kot area of Kasur, had gone missing on January 4 when she went to a tuition centre but never returned. At the time of the incident,  her parents were in Saudi Arabia where they had gone to perform Umrah.  Zainab's body was found in a garbage pile near Kashmir Chowk five days after her disappearance. The initial postmortem report of the minor stated that she was strangled to death after being raped multiple times.

Grief and anger prevails among the people throughout the country. Angry demonstrators demand serious measures to eradicate women harassment and provide speedy justice and respectful care to women who have been victim of this in humane act.

HBWWF rallies against Kasur incident held a rally in Karachi. HBWWF general secretary Zehra Khan along with women of  different walks of life participated. The speakers said that the Kasur incident was continuity of the exploitation that women and children have been suffering for long. Neither the state nor the society played its role seriously to end the abuse. Now it has become a custom. The speakers urged the heads of the administrative and political institutions to take up comprehensive policy to end the abuse in society.

This is the largest child abuse / child rape case in the history of Pakistan that has come into main stream media. There have been other incidents which were never spotlighted. The murder of Tania Khaskheli in Dadu, the naked parade incident in Dera Ismail Khan, five-year old girl raped and killed in Larkana in November 14, 2017. In Multan city,  a 12-year-old girl was raped by a teenager in a field in july 2017. Hundreds of women continue to suffer this fate each year. A similar incident occurred in Iran last year where a seven-year-old, Atena Aslani was assaulted and killed.  The Irani government openly hanged the assaulter in front of a large crowd. We demand the same from our Supreme court. The failure of government to provide speedy justice to the victims depict that our law, constitution and law enforcing agencies have failed in protecting children.

Nobel Peace Prize winner Malala Yousafzai said she was “heartbroken” by the news of Zainab's killing, saying: “This has to stop. Government and the concerned authorities must take action.”

"The condemnable and horrific rape and murder of little Zainab exposes once again how vulnerable our children are in our society. We have to act swiftly to punish the guilty & ensure that our children are better protected.” opined  group of civil society organizations and child protection organizations.

The Judiciary, lawyers and human rights organizations have also condemned this severe atrocious act. According to them, there are laws but not strictly promulgated. The new Sections 292 A, 292 B and 292 C, 328 A, 369 A, 377 A and 377 B have been incorporated in Pakistan Panel Code, 1860, making child pornography and exposure to seduction, a punishable crime. The culprit will be punishable by seven years in prison and a fine of Rs0.7 million. To undertake this task, existing laws are required to be harmonized with the UNCRC to effectively initiate requisite actions for meeting the standards set forth under the UNCRC.

They urged government to develop policy document, a plan of action and   proper mechanism to curb this menace. Culprits should be taken to task. The state institutions need to fulfill their responsibility to provide justice, security and maintaining law and order in the country.

Parents, educationists and people belonging to various professions have demanded justice for the Kasur girl and others who fell prey to sexual predators in the society. They stress over widespread awareness of child-related laws and also facilitate parents and children to prevent sexual abuse. To propagate this awareness, educational institution should include sexual harassment topics in their curriculum.

The nonprofit organization, From Darkness to Light has mentioned essential steps to protect children from sexual abuse.

Only 1 in 10 children report the abuse themselves. 22% of abused children are under 8 years old. The average age of abused children is 9. Most likely, you know a child who either has been or is being abused. Those children who keep the abuse a secret are more likely to suffer psychological, emotional, social, and/or physical problems that will most likely follow them into adulthood.

 Parents should know a child who has been abused. The abusers are mostly not "strangers," but are our friends and family members. Those who sexually abuse children choose the places where they have easy access to children such as clubs or schools. Always look for group situations to involve your child in rather than placing your child alone with one adult. Make sure parents observe or interrupt activities at any time. Parents should unexpectedly make a visit when their child is alone with any adult!

Children often keep abuse a secret, but barriers can be broken down by talking openly about it. It is imperative to understand why children don't tell. Children who do disclose sexual abuse often tell a trusted adult other than a parent. Therefore, training for people who work with children in any capacity is very important .Children will often "shut down" and refuse to tell more if you respond emotionally or negatively. Talk openly with your child. Teach your child about her body, about what abuse is and as age-appropriate about sex. Teach her words that help her discuss sex comfortably with you. Listen with patience. Children have a hard time sharing troubling events with parents. Stay calm and follow a plan if your child reports abuse.

As a woman I deeply feel the pain of the mother who lost her precious child. This is the Islamic society where we are living: where the lives of a mother, sister and daughter are at risk. Who will guarantee and safeguard our lives? There seem to be no laws, no rules and it seems that we are living in a jungle among beasts. This is the time we must stand up!

Archbishop Arshad said that the whole nation weeps for this sin. It is a sin that shames us. Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated.”

The writer works as Assistant Editor at Innovative Solutions,Karachi. She can be contacted at sadiawali@hotmail.com