Kasur Ka Qasoor!

During the last two three years the news of child sexual abuse have been rampant in Pakistan. Multiple cases were scrutinized, talked upon and even investigated. The masses come up with hashtags for every new case and at times even try to create a Social Media uproar which lasts a few days and then everything goes silent until another incident takes place. This vicious cycle continues till date without much alteration.

Kasur being now the hub of child sexual abuse have been in the limelight without much difference in the law or actions taken. Child sexual abuse is a horrendous crime but in our country it is not considered one as our actions show that we don’t care. The Kasur Child Abuse Scandal is one of the few scandals which came upfront where around 250–300 children both male and female were sexually abused and their tapes were sold to child pornography sites. The children who went through this ordeal and still are, at times murdered so that traces of the crime are swept under the carpet. The mafia still continues to play with our children’s life and futures and no one bats an eye.

The rhetoric statements by the officials are getting lame because they don’t lead to any action. According to a study conducted by an NGO Sahil, reported child sexual abuse cases have increased a staggering 11% in 2018 compared to 2017, further signifying that more than 10 children are abused every day in Pakistan. Whereas the unreported cases have a higher percentage of increase with equally mind boggling statistics.

Some of the major findings from the report are as following:

• Girls found to be more vulnerable between ages 0–5 and 16–18
• Boys found to be more vulnerable between ages 6–10 and 11–15

Pornography is a taboo not by virtue of that we don’t see it or enjoy it as a society but because we are hypocrite by nature to deny its existence is our country as we are an Islamic Republic. Hushed and shushed criminals are committing crimes and getting away with them as no one questions them or even dares to talk about sexual abuse or pornography. The leaders are happy as they get to come on the television and give speeches without any action whereas the clergy is content because we are an Islamic country and nothing of this sort happens in our country. This delusional thinking/mindset is ruining our country and family structures because of the fear such cases have built in parents and children.

The sexually abused children are left in order to heal on their own. Their damaged personalities are not soothed or worked upon because ignorance is a bliss. As per our standards and logic, psychological problems don’t exist, hence the abuse if its psychological is left to go by itself. Having studied psychology it boils my blood thinking of the torture those children must be going through when they are left to live without any support. In most cases, these damaged children are abandoned by their parents or families as no one is willing to accept them. They become an easy target and are prone to further abuse by everyone whom they come across.

Their personalities and characters are broken into pieces, hence they either end up being abusers/criminals or kill themselves. Abuse whether physical, verbal or psychological lasts longer in a child’s mind than we can imagine, thereby treatment is really important as it shapes their latter lives, which are built on lack of confidence, no or less trust on others, dishonesty and being abusive to others.

It’s not their fault (qasoor) that they aren’t able to help themselves. Just because they are minors and helpless doesn’t mean we stop doing our duties. The least we could do is raise our voices. Our children have all the rights to live a happy life but they don’t as some beasts (would not call them animals as animals also have some sense and ethics) couldn’t control themselves. They should be hanged to death then and there. They don’t deserve a second chance because they didn’t think twice before committing such crime. The authorities need to do more than just speeches and statements — ACTIONS, NOT WORDS!

Reference:

Sahil Report — https://bit.ly/2nrSROq