November 25, 2025
By Xari Jalil
LAHORE
A new national factsheet on violence against children (VAC) has raised serious alarm over the scale of abuse reported across Pakistan during the first six months of 2025, highlighting gaps in reporting, investigation and prosecution that continue to expose children to severe risks.
The report, compiled using Right to Information (RTI) requests to police departments, covers four regions — Punjab, Sindh, Balochistan and Islamabad — and documents cases across nine major categories of abuse: child physical abuse, sexual abuse, child pornography, murder or homicide, kidnapping, child marriage, child labour, child beggary and trafficking. Data from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa was not received, and therefore not included.
Despite the incomplete national picture, the findings shed light on persistent systemic failures that continue to allow violence against children to flourish unchecked.
An overview of the crisis
According to the document, violence against children remains a pervasive nationwide issue. The factsheet states that “5097 cases of violence against children were reported every day in [the] past 6 months.”
The fact sheet shows that a number of recorded incidents continues to rise, fuelled by a combination of under-resourced institutions, gaps in policing, and a lack of child-focused legal protections.
The report highlights that the cases recorded in the period represent only those officially registered with police, meaning the actual incidence of abuse is likely significantly higher due to widespread underreporting, particularly in rural areas and within marginalized communities.
Wide gaps in reporting and response
Punjab, the country’s largest province, continues to report the highest volume of child-related crimes, consistent with previous years due both to its population size and comparatively stronger reporting systems.
Sindh records high numbers of sexual abuse, kidnapping and child labour cases, reflecting structural vulnerabilities and entrenched criminal networks.
Balochistan, despite having smaller numbers on paper, shows some of the most severe underreporting due to limited policing infrastructure, social stigma and geographical inaccessibility.
Islamabad reflects urban-centric trends, with higher reporting of child pornography, sexual violence and kidnapping, but fewer cases related to child labour or beggary.
The report notes that without data from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, any national assessment remains incomplete. The absence of this major province underscores the systemic gaps in coordination and interprovincial data-sharing mechanisms.
From investigation to conviction: A system in crisis
One of the key objectives of the factsheet is to track the progression of cases through the criminal justice system. It documents where cases stand across the following legal stages: investigation, Challan (charge-sheet) submission, trial, conviction, withdrawal, acquittal.
The report warns of persistent bottlenecks across almost every stage:
Slow Investigations
A large proportion of cases remain stuck at the investigation stage, often for months. Reasons include insufficient staffing, a lack of specialized child-protection units, limited forensic capacity, and, in some cases, local resistance to pursuing sensitive cases such as sexual abuse or trafficking.
Low Challan Submission Rates
The report highlights a critical drop-off between the number of cases registered and the number that proceed to challan submission. This indicates that police departments frequently fail to collect sufficient evidence or decide not to pursue the case further — a trend that disproportionately affects vulnerable children whose families lack resources or influence.
Minimal Conviction Rates
The report underscores the extremely low number of cases that culminate in convictions.
This reflects historical patterns: children, especially victims of sexual abuse or trafficking, face enormous barriers in navigating the justice system. Survivors often face pressure to withdraw complaints, while prosecutors cite weak investigations and hostile courtroom environments as core obstacles.
Forms of Violence: Patterns and Risks
The factsheet groups violence against children into nine categories, reflecting Pakistan’s diverse and complex landscape of risks.
Child Sexual Abuse Remains one of the most commonly reported types of violence. The report stresses that sexual abuse cases are frequently underreported, especially in rural communities where stigma and fear of retaliation deter families from approaching the police.
Child Kidnapping Police data show significant levels of kidnapping, particularly in Punjab and Sindh. Motivations range from trafficking to ransom, forced labour and forced marriage.
Child Labour & Beggary Despite legal prohibitions, child labour remains widespread, especially in urban centers where poverty pushes families into exploitative informal economies. Beggary networks continue to exploit children, often with organized criminal structures behind them.
Child Marriage Still prevalent in parts of Sindh, Punjab and Balochistan, child marriage cases rarely make it through the formal legal system.
Child Trafficking The report underscores the continued threat of trafficking—both internal and cross-border—affecting children forced into labour, sexual exploitation or smuggling routes.
The Data Problem: A Barrier to Protection
The absence of information from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the limited detail available from Balochistan, and the inability of police departments to provide standardized information reflect a broader issue: Pakistan does not yet have a centralized, systematic national mechanism for tracking violence against children.
This gap hampers policymaking, resource allocation and long-term preventive strategies.
A Call for Urgent Reform
The report concludes by emphasizing the need for comprehensive reforms — from improving RTI accessibility to strengthening investigative procedures and expanding child-protection units within police departments.
Crucially, it stresses that without improvements in data collection and legal follow-through, Pakistan will continue to fall short in protecting its most vulnerable citizens.
The authors call on provincial and federal governments to prioritize child safety as a national emergency, warning that the long-term social, psychological and economic costs of continued inaction will be profound.