Fiza Nadeem / Sialkot, Punjab, Pakistan
Child abuse in Pakistan has long been a silent crisis. Yet, recent data from January to June 2025 reveals a sharp escalation in reported cases.
According to statistics compiled by Sahil’s Cruel Numbers report and corroborated by other research sources, Pakistan witnessed a 20% rise in child sexual abuse (CSA) cases compared to the same period in 2024.
In just the first six months of 2025, 1,956 cases of child abuse were reported nationwide.
This included:
- 605 abduction cases.
- 192 missing children cases.
- 950 child sexual abuse cases.
- 34 child or compensation marriages.
While these numbers are alarming in themselves, experts stress that they represent only the tip of the iceberg, with many cases unreported due to stigma, fear of retaliation, and police inaction.
Behind the 20% Rise in CSA Cases (Jan–Jun 2025)
Several interlinked factors appear to explain the surge in CSA cases during the first half of 2025. Improved reporting mechanisms played a significant role, as NGOs like Sahil and VoicePK.net expanded awareness campaigns and encouraged more families to come forward.
At the same time, increased media coverage pushed victims’ families to seek justice and contributed to higher reporting rates.
Beyond these factors, socioeconomic pressures such as rising inflation, unemployment, and poverty have worsened children’s vulnerabilities, especially in low-income households.
The expansion of digital exposure has also created new risks, with social media and online platforms offering avenues for grooming and exploitation. Finally, weak enforcement of child protection laws continues to embolden perpetrators, as poor implementation undermines the effectiveness of existing legal safeguards.
Can We Trust Sahil’s Cruel Numbers Report?
Sahil’s annual Cruel Numbers report remains the most widely referenced and trusted source of child abuse statistics in Pakistan, largely because of its systematic methodology.
The organization compiles data from more than 80 newspapers nationwide, and wherever possible, cases are cross-verified with police reports for accuracy. Another strength of the report is its detailed categorization of abuse, distinguishing between sexual abuse, abduction, child marriages, sodomy, rape, and missing children.
This disaggregation helps policymakers, researchers, and civil society groups better understand trends and target interventions more effectively.
Since it relies heavily on newspaper reporting, cases that never make it to the media, or are deliberately suppressed by local authorities, remain absent from the data.
Moreover, many families withdraw complaints due to intense social stigma, financial pressure, or threats from perpetrators, which further reduces the number of cases that enter official records.
While Sahil’s figures are credible, transparent, and methodologically sound, they still represent only a fraction of the actual scale of child abuse in Pakistan. In reality, the true incidence is likely far higher, hidden beneath layers of underreporting, cultural taboos, and systemic failures in law enforcement and child protection.
Provincial Breakdown of Child Abuse Cases (2024–25)
Punjab accounts for an overwhelming 72% of cases reported in 2025, a figure influenced not only by its status as the most populous province but also by relatively stronger reporting networks, more active media, and greater outreach by NGOs such as Sahil.
This dominance, however, should not be mistaken as proof that abuse is uniquely concentrated in Punjab. It also indicates that cases are more likely to be documented there compared to other regions.
In Sindh, around 15–17% of cases were reported. Urban centers like Karachi contribute a significant share due to denser populations and higher levels of media visibility. Yet, cases from Sindh’s rural interior districts remain underreported.
Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) contributed approximately 7–8% of cases, but this figure likely masks a much larger problem. Tribal districts and remote rural areas in KP face severe underreporting, largely because families are reluctant to approach law enforcement, and local customs often prioritize community-level settlements over formal justice.
Balochistan had the lowest share, with only 3–4% of cases documented. Experts, however, caution against interpreting this as a lower incidence of abuse. Instead, the province suffers from weak media presence, lack of civil society monitoring, and limited institutional infrastructure, which collectively prevent most cases from surfacing.
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Age Groups and Genders Most at Risk
The age group of 11-15 years emerges as the most vulnerable, accounting for nearly one-third of all reported cases.
This stage of adolescence represents a critical developmental period when children are old enough to be targeted for exploitation but still lack the maturity and resources to protect themselves.
Younger children, particularly those under ten, are also at risk but tend to be underrepresented in reported cases due to family silence and the invisibility of abuse within private spaces.
Gender disparities further highlight the complexity of the crisis. Among the 1,956 reported cases in the first half of 2025, girls (1,019 cases) slightly outnumbered boys (875 cases).
However, the nature of abuse varies: rape cases disproportionately involve female victims, while sodomy cases overwhelmingly target boys. This pattern reveals that harmful gender norms and unequal power dynamics expose both girls and boys to unique risks.
Contrary to the common assumption that children are most threatened by strangers in public spaces, the majority of incidents occur within the child’s immediate environment.
Nearly 47% of cases took place in the victim’s own home, and another 16% occurred at the abuser’s residence. The remaining cases were reported from public spaces, schools, or unspecified areas.
This indicates that perpetrators are often trusted individuals, family members, neighbors, or acquaintances, who exploit their proximity and the child’s dependence to commit abuse in spaces presumed to be safe.
How Many Cases Lead to Justice?
While approximately 83% of cases are formally registered with the police, this initial step often fails to translate into meaningful legal outcomes. Conviction rates for child sexual abuse (CSA) and related crimes remain distressingly low, estimated by legal experts to be in the range of just 5–10%.
Delays in trial proceedings are one of the most significant barriers, with many cases dragging on for years, exhausting families both financially and emotionally.
Victims and their families are also highly vulnerable to witness intimidation, as perpetrators frequently belong to the same community or wield local influence, and Pakistan lacks witness protection mechanisms.
Social stigma surrounding sexual abuse leads many families to withdraw their complaints before cases reach conclusion. The pressure to preserve family honor, combined with community shaming and threats of retaliation, often outweighs the pursuit of justice.
As a result, perpetrators exploit these weaknesses, confident that the likelihood of conviction remains minimal.
The Way Forward
While Pakistan has introduced laws against child sexual abuse, child marriages, and trafficking, weak implementation continues to embolden perpetrators. Fast-track courts dedicated to child abuse cases would reduce prolonged delays, while stricter penalties could serve as a deterrent.
Equally critical is the development of a strong witness protection framework, since intimidation and threats often prevent victims and families from pursuing justice.
Social taboos, fear of dishonor, and victim-blaming remain powerful barriers to reporting. Public awareness programs, community-based dialogues, and media engagement can shift harmful attitudes and normalize conversations about child protection.
Education systems must integrate child safety into school curricula. This includes age-appropriate lessons on personal boundaries, consent, and digital safety, along with teacher training to identify and respond to signs of abuse.
Police officers need specialized training in child-sensitive investigation techniques, judges require exposure to trauma-informed trial practices, and healthcare workers must be prepared to provide both medical care and forensic documentation of abuse cases.
Without such training, children often face re-traumatization during the very processes meant to protect them.
Counseling, psychological therapy, and community rehabilitation programs are necessary to help survivors cope with trauma. Safe shelters and financial support can also reduce the pressure on families to withdraw complaints.
Without such protective frameworks, victims risk being abandoned by society, stigmatized, or even forced back into harmful environments.
Child abuse in Pakistan is not simply a legal violation. It is a moral and societal failure that demands urgent, collective action to safeguard the rights and dignity of the country’s youngest citizens.
The 20% rise in CSA cases in 2025 is both a wake-up call and an opportunity to confront the problem head-on. Without urgent action, thousands more children will continue to suffer in silence, denied their most fundamental right: the right to safety, dignity, and childhood.
