Another day, another vulnerable group of human beings happens to be abused. Most of the time, children; the rest of the time, women. And almost every time, it is men who hunt fearlessly.

Incidents of child abuse and women’s harassment are not uncommon in Pakistan. Working women are sub­jected to constant harassment in public and at their workplaces, while those confined to homes face do­mestic violence, honour killings, or punishment for giving birth to female children. Gender-based discrim­ination continues to strip women of their rights, prop­erty, and opportunities merely because of their gender.

Child abuse often becomes an offence of dual nature, encom­passing both child molestation and gender-based discrimination when it is directed towards minor girls. In general, in Pakistan, child abuse takes various forms, such as neglect, and emotional, physical, or sexual abuse. Although child abuse has been rampant for a long time, children’s right to lead a life free from abuse and neglect has never been on the state’s agenda. The recent case of Shabbir Ahmed, a street vendor in Karachi’s Qayyumabad, is chill­ing. He confessed to abusing nearly a hundred minor girls over nine years. It was revealed that police had recovered a diary con­taining names and records of the victims, and a USB with almost 400 objectionable video clips involving 100 minor girls.

Day-long regional coaches workshop held at Inzamam-ul-Haq High-Performance Centre

Pakistan has experienced this pattern twice........

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