ISLAMABAD: The Interior Ministry disclosed on Tuesday that out of 567 registered sexual abuse cases in the federal capital between January 2021 and June 2025, at least 200 involved children.
The data, presented in a written reply by Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi to Senator Shahdat Awan during a Senate session, revealed that of the 200 child abuse cases, 93 victims were boys and 108 were girls. Police arrested 222 suspects, yet only 12 were convicted, while 163 are still facing trial. Fifteen accused were acquitted and 26 remain absconding.
Overall, 567 rape cases were registered in Islamabad during the same period, leading to 625 arrests. Of these, 485 cases have been processed, resulting in 80 convictions and 23 acquittals, while 406 trials remain ongoing. The ministry further confirmed that 29 cases are still under investigation.
The report also highlighted 266 cases of missing children between 2022 and 2025, involving 153 boys and 120 girls. Police arrested 135 suspects, though only two were convicted. Twenty-one were acquitted, while trials of 103 accused are still pending.
Civil society group Sahil, in its May 2025 report, documented 3,364 cases of child abuse reported nationwide last year, underscoring the scale of the issue. The report drew on data from 81 newspapers across Pakistan, including Islamabad, AJK, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Despite legislative efforts such as the Zainab Alert, Response, and Recovery Bill (2019), recent high-profile incidents—including a viral molestation case in Kasur and the busting of a child exploitation network in Muzaffargarh—have reignited public concern, highlighting the urgent need for stronger protections and swifter justice for victims.
