02-25-2007, 11:09 PM
<!--QuoteBegin-->QUOTE<!--QuoteEBegin--><b>ONE IN FOUR PAKISTANI CHILDREN SEXUALLY ABUSED : STUDY</b>
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Shahid Husain
KARACHI : The one thing Pakistan has in common with the West is an appalling child sex abuse, Dr Zeenat Essani, director of the National Institute of Child Health said at a seminar marking Universal Childrenâs Day on Monday.
âWe should accept that we have a big problem,â he told the seminar at Aga Khan University Hospital. The long-term effects of child abuse include fear, anxiety, depression, inappropriate sexual behaviour, poor self-esteem, and difficulty with close relationships, she said.
Among victims of sexual abuse, the inability to trust others is pronounced, contributing to secrecy and non-disclosure, she said. Victims often failed to report the crime due to fear, she added.
Dr Ghaffar Billo, head of paediatrics at Aga Khan said people failed to realise how rampant child abuse was in Pakistan.
He said the erroneous belief that unless children were beaten, they donât learn, was widespread in religious circles.
Dr Aisha Mehnaz, associate professor at Karachiâs Dow Medical College and president of the Pakistan Paediatrics Association said the exact magnitude of child sexual abuse was unknown, but unofficial estimates put incidences of abuse in Pakistan at 15-25 per cent of the population, an estimate based on newspaper reports, police records, reports of NGOs and healthcare providers, she said.
<b>She said the extent of child sexual abuse, according to newspaper reports between 1997-99 was: CSA/murder 297, including 111 girls and 186 boys; gang rape 680 including 449 girls and 231 boys; rape 528, including 528 girls; sodomy 272; molestation 279 including 185 girls and 94 boys; abduction for sex 253, including 222 girls and 31 boys. Totally, 2304 incidence of CSA occurred during this period. There were 1495 girl victims and 314 boysâ victims, she said.</b>
She said according to data compiled by chief chemical examiners, the age group of victims varied between 12-18 years during January-June 1999. But the age group of victims between 1997-99 was 5-18 years.
<b>She said the abusers fell into various categories: acquaintances 74.1 percent (3,009 cases); relatives 2.1 percent (87); incest 1.7 percent (70); teacher 1.1 percent (46); religious teacher 1.4 percent (57); police 2.2 percent (90); and strangers 17.2 percent (6,990. There were 4,058 cases of CSA during this period, she said.</b>
She said a multidisciplinary approach was needed to combat this crime and bolster public awareness of the crime. She said the media should address the menace. Parents and teachers should be educated on the issue.
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link
Shahid Husain
KARACHI : The one thing Pakistan has in common with the West is an appalling child sex abuse, Dr Zeenat Essani, director of the National Institute of Child Health said at a seminar marking Universal Childrenâs Day on Monday.
âWe should accept that we have a big problem,â he told the seminar at Aga Khan University Hospital. The long-term effects of child abuse include fear, anxiety, depression, inappropriate sexual behaviour, poor self-esteem, and difficulty with close relationships, she said.
Among victims of sexual abuse, the inability to trust others is pronounced, contributing to secrecy and non-disclosure, she said. Victims often failed to report the crime due to fear, she added.
Dr Ghaffar Billo, head of paediatrics at Aga Khan said people failed to realise how rampant child abuse was in Pakistan.
He said the erroneous belief that unless children were beaten, they donât learn, was widespread in religious circles.
Dr Aisha Mehnaz, associate professor at Karachiâs Dow Medical College and president of the Pakistan Paediatrics Association said the exact magnitude of child sexual abuse was unknown, but unofficial estimates put incidences of abuse in Pakistan at 15-25 per cent of the population, an estimate based on newspaper reports, police records, reports of NGOs and healthcare providers, she said.
<b>She said the extent of child sexual abuse, according to newspaper reports between 1997-99 was: CSA/murder 297, including 111 girls and 186 boys; gang rape 680 including 449 girls and 231 boys; rape 528, including 528 girls; sodomy 272; molestation 279 including 185 girls and 94 boys; abduction for sex 253, including 222 girls and 31 boys. Totally, 2304 incidence of CSA occurred during this period. There were 1495 girl victims and 314 boysâ victims, she said.</b>
She said according to data compiled by chief chemical examiners, the age group of victims varied between 12-18 years during January-June 1999. But the age group of victims between 1997-99 was 5-18 years.
<b>She said the abusers fell into various categories: acquaintances 74.1 percent (3,009 cases); relatives 2.1 percent (87); incest 1.7 percent (70); teacher 1.1 percent (46); religious teacher 1.4 percent (57); police 2.2 percent (90); and strangers 17.2 percent (6,990. There were 4,058 cases of CSA during this period, she said.</b>
She said a multidisciplinary approach was needed to combat this crime and bolster public awareness of the crime. She said the media should address the menace. Parents and teachers should be educated on the issue.
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