Lahore leads with highest number of kidnappings, sexual abuse cases and murders of children, compared to other districts
April 29, 2024
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
In a comparison report between 2022 and 2023, Lahore has emerged as one of the topmost hotspot districts of Punjab, where statistics of children being kidnapped, sexually abused and murdered lead, followed by other districts. The report highlights that 3,780 cases of crimes against children were recorded by the Punjab police in 2022, while in 2023, the same crimes totaled 4,200 resulting in an 11 percent increase.
The various crimes included trafficking of children, child marriages, physical abuse, sexual abuse, kidnapping, murder and child pornography.
The numbers were brought together in a report by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO).
The number of children who were trafficked in Punjab last year came to around 49, while in 2023, the number rose to 108. Child marriages were counted as eight in 2022, which dropped to five in 2023, however the drop was not considerable. In 2022, there were 83 cases of physical abuse, the next year it was 157. The numbers of sexual abuse of children have also agreed. From 621 to 891 there was a 30 percent increase in the reported cases of sexual abuse of children. The most startlingly high number of cases was in the category of kidnapping – 2,539 in 2022 and 2,539 in 2023.
Meanwhile 468 children were murdered in 2022, and 493 children in 2023. Coincidently in both years children who became victims of child pornography were 12 in number.
In 2023, seven children were kidnapped approximately every single day in Punjab; 17 children were sexually abused approximately every week; nine children were murdered every week; three children were physically abused every week; and two children were trafficked
approximately every week.
HOTSPOT DISTRICTS
Lahore emerged as one of the districts that was declared a hotspot in almost all crime categories.
Under the Kidnapping category, Lahore had the most cases registered (840), followed by Sialkot (194) and Gujranwala (143). In the Sexual Abuse category, Lahore again emerged on top with 346 cases during the year, followed by Sheikhupura (76) and Bahawalnagar (61). Once again Lahore led as the topmost hotspot district when it came to cases of murder with 61 cases of children being murdered in 2023. It was followed by Faisalabad (32) and Gujranwala (26).
Under Physical Abuse, Sialkot led with 37 cases, followed by Faisalabad (16) and Sheikhupura (11). Toba Tek Singh saw the most number of Trafficking cases with 51 being recorded, Chiniot (35) and once again Lahore on the list with six.
Chakwal had the most cases with Child Pornography (3), with Jehlum and Mianwali both having two cases recorded each.
Talking about the situation, the Executive Director of the organization, Syed Kausar Abbas, said that these numbers had been gathered through a Right to Information request with the Punjab Police under Article 19-A of the Constitution and the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.
“It is highly possible that the actual numbers of crimes against children are much higher than these reported numbers,” he said. “The police need to spread their surveillance and engage local communities in identifying perpetrators and culprits of child abuse and sexual violence in society.”
He informed that while the police had over time improved its registration of cases but the judiciary needed to play more proactive roles in terms of conviction of the accused and give them severe punishment through speedy trials of the cases related to children.
“Each number represents a child whose safety has been compromised, their childhood shattered,” he said. “It is the collective responsibility of all stakeholders – from individuals to communities, and authorities – to take action to protect children from violence and exploitation. Only then will it make a difference.”