THE Ministry of Human Rights together with Prime Minister’s Performance Delivery Unit (PMDU) has made a major stride in order to put a stop to soaring cases of child abuse by launching on Wednesday Zainab Alert App so citizens may report any children that go missing. The App, named after an early 2018 case in which a six-year old girl — called Zainab — was raped and murdered in the eastern city of Kasur, has been integrated with district police officers throughout the country. In Punjab, it is linked to 36, in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa to 33, and in Sindh to 50 district police officers.
Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari really deserves appreciation for taking this important step towards protecting our young souls from the monsters and beasts who have no regard whatsoever for humanity. Cases of child abductions and rape in Pakistan have been on the rise in recent history. Most recent statistics issued by non-profit Organisation Sahil in its “Cruel Numbers” report show more than eight children were subjected to sexual abuse on average every day in the first six months of 2020 in Pakistan and 38 children were killed after being raped. These figures, in our view, are only the tip of the iceberg as there will be many cases that go unreported for various reasons. This App has now provided a platform to the people especially the parents to immediately lodge their complaints without wastage of any time. Doing so will prompt the police to launch a probe into the matter forthwith. Incidents of child abuse can only be curbed if the culprits are awarded with strict punishment such as public hanging and in this regard, Parliament must act and legislate. Whilst effort must continue to use and improve upon technology to trace criminals involved in such horrendous acts, there is also need to create greater awareness amongst the people at different levels about child abuse. Especially, the parents and teachers also need to fulfil their responsibility vis-à-vis protection of the children.
