Trigger warning: This story contains details of child sexual abuse and rape.
In Karachi, a court had sentenced Muneer Ahmed to ten years in prison after he was found guilty for raping his nephew in Lyari. According to Dawn, the abuser was also required to pay Rs 1 lac as fine for the crime.
The court observed that the survivor’s statement was credible enough for the heavy sentence imposed for the crime: “It is settled law that testimony of a victim, especially in cases of sexual offences, holds significant weight.”
According to the news report, the crime had taken place on August 16, 2023 at the abuser’s house in Chakiwara. The compliant’s counsel Bahzad Akbar stated that while the survivor was playing outside in his house, the abuser, who was his neighbour, had asked for his help in fixing the roof top. When both the minor and the accused were on the rooftop, that is when the boy had been forcibly raped and threatened with severe consequences if he had ever told anyone.
Previously in January, another child sexual abuse case had gone viral in Karachi where seven-year old Muhammad Sarim was found inside the water tank of his building after being missing for eleven days. The autopsy report conducted by authorities revealed he had been brutally raped before being murdered.
According to Express Tribune, Sarim was first declared missing by his family when he did not return back from the local madrassah where he visited with his brother. His father had then filed an FIR and a search operation was launched to search for the boy.
After the case went viral, several actresses and other public figures had expressed their outrage at the rising cases of child sexual abuse in Karachi and across Pakistan, and urged for parents to supervise their children’s environment and also teach them about ways to stay safe.
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