Senate panel slams low conviction rate in child abuse cases, summons officials

Senate panel slams low conviction rate in child abuse cases, summons officials

ISLAMABAD: Alarmed by low conviction rates, a lack of forensic support and schools covering up abuses, the Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights summoned officials and ordered strict action over delays in the delivery of justice and the non-reporting of child abuse cases. A meeting was held at Parliament House on Tuesday under the chairmanship of Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri. Khyber Pakhtunkhwa’s deputy inspector general (investigation) and the Home Department’s deputy secretary presented an operational report on action taken against child abuse. Deliberating on legal performance, the committee directed KP officials to submit the exact terms of reference governing community-level child protection units. Officials informed the committee that, of the 625 cases registered in KP, 576 had been processed and more than 300 sent for trial, while the conviction rate stood at around 6 per cent. The committee expressed serious concern over the absence of a localised Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in KP, noting that evidence degrades during transportation to other provinces. During the meeting, the chief child protection officer said that, under the Child Protection Act 2010, multi-stakeholder mechanisms involving the police, schools, deputy commissioner offices and social workers were addressing abuse in educational institutions, madrasas, child labour and street begging. Moreover, awareness driven by social media had also increased reporting. However, the director general of child protection expressed concern over a surge in peer-to-peer abuse linked to minors accessing explicit content at home. He said 855 such cases had been reported in KP in 2025 and more than 1,700 nationwide. During the meeting, Punjab Prosecution Department officials confirmed that the last execution was carried out in 2019, leaving capital punishment sentences unenforced. The committee commended the bravery of a four-year-old survivor in the Westminster School, Islamabad, case and decided to visit the child. Members expressed strong displeasure over the school administration’s failure to report the incident and recommended the strict closure of any school that failed to enforce child protection policies, as a deterrent. Senator Hafiz Karim remarked: “Crimes have defined penalties, but implementation remains severely lacking.” Taking up the killing of Javid Rasheed, the committee expressed grave dissatisfaction with Punjab’s prosecution response and took notice of misleading statements. Senator Aimal Wali observed that misstatements served to protect perpetrators. The committee chairman directed Punjab officials to re-examine the relevant statutory provisions and take steps to have the bail granted to the accused cancelled. He also directed the Punjab inspector general of police to maintain close coordination with the prosecution office. Meanwhile, Senator Wali questioned how more than 12,000 cases remained unresolved despite Punjab having specialised forensic laboratories, pointing to procedural loopholes and flawed investigations. Following a briefing by Balochistan officials, the committee resolved to undertake an official oversight visit to the province. The committee also directed the secretary of the Ministry of Human Rights to instruct all provincial governments to ensure that representatives attending parliamentary meetings were fully prepared, warning against incomplete documentation. A total of 1,914 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan during the first six months of 2026, according to data released by child rights organisation Sahil in August.