‘Punjab has no system to monitor child-rapists, abusers’

LAHORE: A report made public on the orders of the Punjab Information Commission has disclosed that the Punjab province still lacked a comprehensive system of monitoring and surveillance of those involved in rape and abuse of children.

The report suggested that the secret agencies and police special branch should provide information, leading to a crackdown on internet cafes and mobile-phone shops having pornographic material.

A report released by the Punjab Police on an application submitted by Abdullah Malik Advocate under the Right to Information (RTI) Act, suggested that lists of all child rapists and abusers, who have served their jails terms, or they are on bail from the courts, or have reached compromise with the victim children and their families, should be prepared in all police stations and maintained at the district police officers.

The report admitted that no such reports had been prepared so far and no planning was done in that regard till date. The monitoring wing of the Punjab Police also suggested that a mechanism should also be evolved for getting a surety bond of good character from the convicts and history-sheeters under Section 110 of the CrPC.

And if such persons shift to any other locality of the city, or relocate to some other city or town, the police stations concerned should be informed about it, which should continue their monitoring at their new addresses, added the report.

The report said the child abuse cases should be part of monthly meetings of all police stations. The report said Section 311 PPC should be inserted in all child rape cases to prevent any out-of-court compromise between the rapists and the victim families. Also children’s age should be verified from National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra) record.

According to the information, provided by the CCPO Lahore, 312 cases of children kidnap, their rape and gang-rape were registered only in Lahore from January to October 2020. Out of those cases, 275 were about kidnapping of children, 22 about child rape and 17 were about gang-rape of children. The police arrested 152 alleged criminals, challans of 87 cases were submitted in courts, and seven cases were still pending inn courts. According to the record, only five persons were awarded sentence in all the cases.