Report says 178 boys aged six to 10 were abused compared to 150 girls of the same ages in first half of 2015. PHOTO: REUTERS
ISLAMABAD: The number of young boys being sexually abused in Pakistan has increased this year, a new watchdog report said Wednesday, with more boys between the ages of six and 10 victims than girls.
In total the number of boys being abused increased by 4.3 per cent in the first half of 2015 compared to the same period last year, according to the study from Sahil, a non-government organisation (NGO) working against child sex abuse.
The report said that 178 boys aged six to 10 were abused compared to 150 girls of the same ages.
“The reason for this is that more boys go out of home to play in the streets and are easily trapped,” Mumtaz Gohar, a spokesperson for Sahil, told AFP.
“Many families also prefer not to report offences against the girls because of defamation issues,” he said.
Child sexual abuse: A national tragedy
The number of women involved in sexual assaults has increased alarmingly, with the report saying 102 cases from January to June in 2015 involved “female abettors” – five times as many as the same period in 2014.
The report showed a decline of 221 in overall abuse cases involving children of all ages, with roughly nine children a day being sexually abused over the first six months of 2015 in Pakistan. The figure for the first six months of 2015 was 1,565 compared with 1,786 for the same period last year.
Last year Sahil charted more than 3,500 registered cases in total, with a spokesperson saying the true figure could be as high as 10,000.
Earlier this month, government took a step towards punishing those guilty of abusing young girls with life imprisonment or even death after an influential parliamentary committee voted to amend current laws.
The amendment only appears to address the sexual abuse of girls aged under 14, not boys.
In August, a huge scandal emerged involving at least 280 children who lawyers said were filmed being sexually abused, with their parents blackmailed over the footage.
Sexual abuse of young boys on the rise in Pakistan: watchdog
In towns and cities across Pakistan, tens of thousands of vulnerable young boys have become the victims of paedophile predators who seem to have nothing to fear from the law. It’s an open secret that few acknowledge publicly and even fewer want to do anything about. In a society where women are hidden from view and young girls deemed untouchable, the bus stations, truck stops and alleyways have become the hunting ground for perverted men to prey on the innocent. In one survey alone, 95% of truck drivers admitted having sex with boys was their favourite entertainment. At the main bus terminal in Peshawar, a makeshift hostel for drivers passing through is set up every evening with around twenty beds lying side by side. Some are occupied by men, some by boys, and some by both. Most boys have been procured by hostel owners like Hassan Deen: “When a kid is wandering the streets alone, we lure him in by telling him we’ll give him some food and a place to stay. Then we pass them on to the drivers.” In return for a pittance, the men can have sex with as many boys as they desire. Pedestrians stroll by as though nothing is amiss and police say they’re too busy fighting terrorists to have time for the children. Forever damaged and with no hope, many of the boys turn to drugs to numb the pain and sorrow. One of the boys we feature is 13-year-old Naeem. Having been gang-raped by four men when he was just 10, Naeem is now a child prostitute and abuser of younger boys himself. As he says: “Sometimes I wish I’d never been born.” “It’s one of the most sad and shameful aspects of our society. I have to say I’m totally embarrassed by this” Imran Khan, world-famous cricketer and leading Pakistani Politician.
This is known as Bacha Bazi, bus stop boys, in Afghanistan.
See also: The gay history of Islam.
