Pakistan's child protection crisis deepens amid legal paralysis, social complicity in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa

Khyber Pakhtunkhwa [Pakistan], July 18 : Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) is facing what experts are calling a "child protection emergency", as a recent report reveals a surge in rights violations against minors, with 402 documented incidents in just six months, already surpassing the 392 cases recorded in all of 2024, Dawn News reported.

According to the KP Child Protection and Welfare Commission (KPCPWC), children across the province were subjected to 33 different forms of abuse, including disappearance, sexual violence, child labour, forced begging, and even murder. Of the total cases, 286 involved boys and 116 girls, according to Dawn News.

The report recorded 40 cases of missing children, 40 cases of sexual abuse, 26 runaways, 17 instances of child labour, 14 corporal punishment complaints, seven child murders, and even two incidents of child pornography.

"This is a child protection emergency," said Nadia Khan, a member of the National Commission on the Rights of the Child (NCRC), noting that only one functional child protection unit exists in Peshawar, despite KP having over four million children. "We need long-term, child-centric policies that offer real protection," she told Dawn News.

Only 19 out of 36 districts have operational child protection units, leaving much of the province vulnerable to child protection issues. Maham Afridi of the NCRC emphasised that the crisis is not the government's responsibility alone. "Communities must also step up; religious leaders, families, and local influencers must join awareness efforts," Dawn News reported.

Deep-rooted cultural stigmas also prevent reporting. "Child abuse is wrongly seen as a matter of family honour," activist Rakhshanda Sajid told Dawn News. "Victims are often silenced out of shame and fear. These toxic norms protect abusers."

In response, KP's Minister for Social Welfare Qasim Ali Shah announced pending legislation to better handle custody of street children and pledged to make the province "beggar-free". A dedicated helpline and a professional development centre have been inaugurated, he added, Dawn News reported.

Still, implementation remains poor. Child rights activist Imran Takkar criticised the government's sluggish action, noting that while the KP Child Protection and Welfare Act was passed in 2010, most districts still lack child courts or leadership appointments.

"Without serious commitment and funding, these laws are just paper," Takkar told Dawn News.

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