Exemplary punishment sought for Kasur child abuse suspects

Karachi
Several human rights activists gathered outside the Karachi Press Club on Thursday to protest against the devastating child sexual abuse scandal unearthed in Kasur last week.
The protestors demanding justice for the child survivors and their families called for immediate arrests of the influential ringleaders who stood to gain from the child pornography network.
Referring to the findings of previous joint investigation teams (formed on several national tragedies) the civil society activists rejected the constituted JIT, claiming they had always provided cover to the powerful elite.
The protestors instead demanded to form a neutral committee consisting of well respected members of the civil society.
Deputy Speaker Sindh Assembly Shehla Raza while speaking to The News said the tragedy has left all parents insecure. “It is depressing to note that these children were subjected to extreme form of abuse by a ring of paedophiles for years with impunity,” stated a member of Pakistan Paediatric Association.
The scandal was by several protestors seen as the epic failure of the law enforcement agencies’ and other state institutions ability to protect its children from abuse, violence and exploitation. “Such incidents and abuse severely affect and compromise the development of a child into a useful and productive adult,” said another protestor.
The activists urged the government of Punjab and the judiciary to investigate the heinous crime from all angles and bring the perpetrators and their protectors to the fore. They demanded for the culprits to be awarded exemplary punishment. Victims and their families were also demanded to be provided with the required legal and moral support as well as psychological therapy besides other necessary rehabilitation services.
Officials of the Pakistan Pediatric Association also pledged to help in designing and implementation of the services in collaboration with the Child Protection Bureau of Punjab.
Another official from the Sindh Child Right Movement (CRM) warned the government of adopting an ostrich-approach over the matter. He called for the state authorities to accept the reality and take effective steps for the prevention of child sexual abuse in the country.
The rally was organised in collaboration with several non-governmental organisations including War against Rape (WAR), Pakistan Medical Association (PMA), Pakistan Islamic Medical Association (PIMA) and Pakistan Paediatric Association Konpal, Child Abuse Preventive Society.