LAHORE: A shocking number of 3,445 children were sexually abused in Pakistan in 2017, according to a private media outlet which attributed the statistics to NGO Sahil’s annual report. 

The report says 2,077 girls and 1,368 boys have been survivors of sexual exploitation.  Nine children were abused daily, it says. 

The report has been made from monitoring 91 newspapers, local, regional and national, and the cases that have been reported. 

Experts suggest that these cases may just be the tip of the iceberg as many areas are remote or people do not report cases for various reasons, including treating the subject as taboo and family relations with the perpetrator. 

According to the reported cases, 1,039 incidents of abduction took place, 467 cases were reported under rape, 366 under sodomy, 158 under gang rape, 180 under gang sodomy and 206 cases of attempted child sexual abuse were highlighted. 

The report says 29 boys and 36 girls were murdered after being made victims of sexual abuse.  Eight boys and as many girls were murdered after gang sodomy and rape. 

As many as 517 children were found missing from their homes.  Related to this were 143 cases of early child marriage and 24 of vani, says the report. 

The number of cases reported in Punjab was 2,168, Sindh (933), Balochistan (139), KP (78), GB (3), AJK (12) and Islamabad (112). 

In Lahore, there were 112 incidents reported in 2017; 29 children were abducted and 39 reported missing.  Thirteen cases of rape, seven cases of sodomy, one case of gang rape, and four cases of gang sodomy were recorded in the city. 

Sahil gave its recommendations for prevention of child sexual abuse and exploitation.  An effective awareness campaign for the protection of children is integral, it says and calls for new legislation.  It also recommends a comprehensive rehabilitation and support system for victims of abuse.