Pakistan - Mosque & Child abuse

Editorial - Child abuse 

The gruesome killing after rape of a seven-year-old boy in Lahore has made us ashamed to be called human beings. The ill-fated child was found hanged on the roof of a mosque in his locality. Earlier, he had been reported as missing since January 1. The postmortem report revealed that the victim was molested before being hanged. It is very horrific to imagine the traumatic experience that the innocent boy must have gone through before his death. A deputy prayer leader has formally been arrested as circumstantial evidence goes against him. It is the latest example of brutality against minors. Every year, child abuse and murder cases are reported, while many go unreported due to a social stigma attached to such incidents. The number of such cases has been rising not only in Pakistan but in other countries also. The increasing frustration in society, general and sexual, as well as unhealthy trends are behind such crime proclivities. Child abuse is the most heinous offence among other violent acts. In most of the cases, children with poor social backgrounds become victims of this horrific phenomenon. After every such barbaric act, society raises its voice briefly, but with the passage of time, the matter subsides.

The elimination of this social evil needs long term measures. The prevention of child abuse is the responsibility of both the government and society. An overall awareness campaign is needed to educate society about the existence of this heinous tendency. For its part, the government is required to take bold steps for purging society of this evil. In order to reduce the risk of sexual abuse for any child, there is a need to minimise opportunity that could provide an enabling environment for committing such crimes. Proper monitoring of places potentially prone to such incidents is necessary. Children are also needed to be imparted sex education. The government should introduce detailed laws and policies to address the issue. The victims should be encouraged not to conceal abuse. Rather they should be motivated to report the crime so that the culprits could be brought to justice and an example set for future offenders. If we do not eliminate this crime from society, it will go on bleeding our hearts and souls after every such incident.