“We must take sides. Neutrality helps the oppressor, never the victim. Silence encourages the tormentor, never the tormented.” — Elie Wiesel

For decades, the valleys of Chitral, Gilgit-Baltistan and Hunza have been regarded as sanctuaries of peace, natural beauty and close-knit communities. Life in these mountainous regions has always been anchored in simplicity. For generations, these mountains cradled a social fabric where neighbours were regarded as extended family and every child running through the orchards or walking to local schools and religious centres was watched over by the wider community. Elders looked after them with protective affection. In these communities, protecting children was traditionally seen as a shared responsibility. But today, that sense of security is being challenged by a disturbing reality. Child abuse, once rarely spoken of openly, is increasingly coming to light within communities that have long prided themselves on close social bonds and collective care. The question, then, is not whether such abuse exists, but whether we are willing to confront it.

 A Visual Reminder of Lost Innocence| Source: Courtesy of the author

According to Sahil’s 2026 Cruel Numbers report, 1,914 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan during the first six months of 2026, including 1,015 cases of child sexual abuse. This grim reality is no longer distant for the northern frontier; it is surfacing within our own communities. We can no longer take the region’s reputation for safety for granted, as a troubling sequence of incidents across the mountains makes it clear. In Booni, Chitral, community anger reached a breaking point, prompting residents to take to the streets following the reported assault of a young boy and an alleged attempt to harass a young girl. Then in Gilgit city, a local mechanic was accused of assaulting a young boy, yet the response reportedly amounted to little more than warnings, raising troubling........

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