In a daunting report by a non-profit organization (NGO), Sahil, a total of 1914 cases of child abuse have been reported in Pakistan within 6 months. From January to June 2026, 1015 cases of child abuse, 558 cases of abduction, 101 cases of missing children, and 35 cases of child marriages have been reported across the country, out of which 49 cases involve infants who had been abandoned. In details of the child sexual abuse cases, 98 cases of pornography following sexual abuse were also recorded.
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The demographics stated that 58 percent of the victims were girls, with children aged 11-15 years being the most vulnerable to abuse. There were 598 children aged 11-15 years, 356 aged 16-18 years, 329 aged 6-10 years and 95 aged 0-5 years; meanwhile, the age of victims in 487 cases was not mentioned. While compiling the report, Sahil collected data from different regional and national newspapers from Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB).
The report highlighted how children are victims of abuse mostly by people they are familiar with or are family members. It stated that 43 percent of the abusers were acquaintances, while 34 percent of the perpetrators were identified as strangers. It also highlighted that 45 percent of the crimes were committed within the premises of the victim’s own house, while 18 percent took place at the abusers’ houses. A total of 3 percent took place in open fields or abandoned areas, and 21 percent of cases did not report a place of abuse. The majority of cases were reported in urban areas (57 percent), and 43 percent of crimes were reported in rural areas.
Among other details, 80 percent of the cases took place in Punjab, 15 percent took place in Sindh, and the remaining 5 percent were reported across other regions. Of these, 89 percent of the cases were registered with the police, while the rest remained unregistered and no investigation was pursued. The report stated that seven cases were unreported, whereas in one case the police refused to register the case.
