WEBDESK - NAYADAUR
Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP) leader and Senator Sherry Rehman has expressed deep concern over the rising cases of violence against children in Pakistan, calling for urgent action by the state, judiciary, police and families to strengthen child protection.
Rehman said 1,914 cases involving violence against children were reported between January and June 2026, describing the figures as a matter of profound reflection for Pakistani society.
According to the figures cited by Rehman, 80% of the reported cases came from Punjab, which she said raises serious questions about the effectiveness of the province’s child protection system.
She also highlighted the involvement of perpetrators known to the affected children. Around 43% of perpetrators were reportedly known to the children, while nearly 45% of incidents occurred inside the children’s own homes.
Rehman described the figures related to domestic incidents as particularly heartbreaking and stressed the need to make homes and domestic environments safer for children.
“The protection of children is the joint responsibility of both the state and society,” Rehman said, urging parents to remain vigilant about suspicious individuals in their surroundings.
The data cited by the senator also showed that 57% of cases were reported from urban areas and 43% from rural areas, indicating that violence against children is not confined to a particular geographic or socioeconomic group.
Rehman said the problem should therefore be treated as a societal issue rather than one affecting any single class or community.
She welcomed the fact that 89% of the reported cases were registered with police, but stressed that registration alone was not sufficient. She called for immediate investigations and timely action following the registration of cases.
“Perpetrators of violence against children deserve no leniency,” Rehman said, calling for every case to be pursued rigorously and for those found guilty to receive exemplary punishment.
She also appealed to the superior judiciary to ensure immediate trials of cases involving serious crimes against children, arguing that prolonged delays in the justice system undermine efforts to protect vulnerable victims and hold perpetrators accountable.
Rehman warned that the state’s inability to protect children from violence represents a fundamental failure of the system and said immediate corrective measures were necessary.
“If we, as a state, cannot provide our innocent children with the basic right to protection, then this is the biggest failure of the system,” she said.
The PPP leader’s remarks come amid continued concerns over child safety and the effectiveness of mechanisms designed to prevent abuse, ensure reporting and deliver justice. She stressed that meaningful protection would require coordinated efforts involving government institutions, law enforcement, courts, families and wider society.
She urged authorities to strengthen oversight and ensure that cases involving children do not remain trapped in prolonged investigations or judicial delays, while calling on families to play a greater role in identifying potential risks.
The senator said Pakistan must act urgently to create safer environments for children, strengthen accountability and ensure that victims receive justice without unnecessary delay.