By Shagufta Mobeen
Educationist,
M.Sc Zoology + B.Ed

Silent Screams: How Sexual Abuse and
Murder Are Tearing Our Society Apart.
خاموش چیخیں: جنسی زیادتی اور قتل
ہمارے معاشرے کو کس طرح پارہ پارہ کر رہے ہیں۔
साइलेंट स्क्रीम्स: कैसे यौन शोषण और हत्या
हमारे समाज को तहस-नहस कर रहे हैं।

The alarming surge in sexual violence and murder in Pakistan—particularly against women and children—has sparked national outrage and deep societal grief. Reports from human rights groups and medical professionals indicate a distressing rise in both the frequency and brutality of these crimes.
The escalating crisis of sexual abuse, femicide, and child murder is widely seen as tearing at the moral fabric of Pakistani society. Activists, journalists, and religious leaders argue that the crisis is a reflection of systemic failures, harmful cultural conditioning, and a culture of silence.

‘If a woman is killed, they say she fell, she took poison’

Introduction:
“Silent Screams” are sometimes ignored, usually for the basis of fear, shame, and more often an overall indifference. Children often do not report abuse right away because they are scared, confused, embarrassed, or afraid of more violence from the abuser. Touching upon child suffering, bolstered by hiding the truth of their act, horrifying children, folks ashamed or hypersensitive about misrepresentation. As one of the ugliest facets of our reality, child abuse — followed by sexual harassment and even death — is a recurrent global theme. These atrocities steal children’s innocence, their safety, and their future.
Raising awareness is the first step toward breaking this cycle of violence. Child experienced sexual abuse is probably one of the most painful and challenging events a parent can face.
All rape-murder cases of children are awful, but some are more awful than others. People involved in such horrific incidents do not deserve any leniency. Children deserve protection, care, and love—not fear, violence, or abuse.

What is Child Sexual Abuse?
It is any sexual activity between adults and minors or between two minors when one forces it on the other. This includes sexual touching and non-touching acts like exhibitionism, exposure to pornography,
photography of a child for sexual gratification, solicitation of a child for prostitution, voyeurism, and communication in a sexual way by phone, Internet, or face-to-face. It is a crime punishable by law that must be reported. In some disastrous cases, abuse is followed by murder in an attempt to hide the crime, resulting in the loss of innocent lives. Such incidents not only destroy the future of the victim but also leave permanent pain and trauma for families and the public.

Why Are Child Sexual Abuse and Child Murders on the Rise?
Children are innocent and unaware of the dangers around them. In childhood, Childs learn to walk, talk, move, speak, and learn about the world. Children are delicate like flowers, and men break them through
their societal indifference. Children have less power to defend themselves; that’s why Men Crush the Childs. A child cannot be expected to protect themselves from such threats.

Video Credit: Hamariweb/YouTube

The Numbers Behind the Silent Screams:
According to Sahil, an organization that works on child protection
In the years 2012-2016, a total of 17,205 cases were reported. Over 3,830 cases of child abuse were reported in newspapers in 2018,. The report documented 3,630 cases of child abuse in the first six months of 2022 and a total 4253 cases in 2022. In 2023, Sahil organization indicated 4,213 cases;
in 2024, 3364 cases; and in 2025, 3630 cases were reported. In 2026, Childs still facing horrific sexual violence.

Child Protection Laws and Support Systems in Pakistan.
- Child protection helplines (1121)
- The Criminal Law (Amendment) Act, 2016
- Zainab Alert Response and Recovery Act, 2020
- Child protection units
- CCD Established in February 2025

“No society can call itself just or peaceful while its children live in fear and insecurity.”

Who are the Perpetrators?
Many perpetrators are known to the victims’ acquaintances, relatives, or neighbors. Most child sexual abusers are men and may be respected members of the community drawn to settings where they gain easy access to children when they are alone and away from the supervision of trusted adults. If a man has a conscience, honor, and basic human decency, he would never prey upon a child. Exploiting or harming a child is not a sign of strength; it is a reflection of moral failure, cruelty, and the complete absence of humanity.

How does Child Sexual Abuse happen?
To Know About how abuse occurs is essential for prevention. Much of child sexual abuse occurs when a child is alone, such as walking down a road by himself, alone in a house, being alone in a school building, or being left alone in places like mosques and other places. often look for opportunities where children are separated from parents, teachers, or guardians and are unable to seek immediate help. They come from all age groups, races, religions, and socioeconomic classes. Most victims know and trust their abusers. It isn’t strangers our children have to fear most. Child sexual abuse often happens when an offender takes advantage of a child’s trust, innocence, vulnerability, or lack of supervision.

The most horrific cases are highlighted.
The following are some cases that received significant media coverage and public attention.
Zainab murder case, Kasur (4-9 January 2018):
Zainab disappeared on 4 January, and her body was found five days later. Police found Zainab Ansari’s body on a rubbish dump in Kasur district near the eastern city of Lahore. Residents of the area have said the murder was the 12th such incident in a year. Police investigators said later that they had matched DNA from eight girls’ bodies, including Zainab’s, with the convicted killer, Imran Ali, 24. “The court handed down death on four counts and life imprisonment to Imran Ali in the rape and murder of the little girl, Zainab.”

Farishta Mohmand (2019, Islamabad, Pakistan)
The murder of a 10-year-old Pakistani girl who was allegedly raped. Farishta Mohmand’s body was found in woodlands near her home in the capital Islamabad.
Murder of a 7-year-old girl in Sargodha, June 22, 2026.
Muntaha Zahra Case
A 7-year-old girl was allegedly raped and murdered inside a grocery store after she went there to buy something. Her throat was cut, and her clothes were torn when police discovered her body.
Murder of 3-year-old girl in Karachi. 23 June-2026.
The body of Kulsoom Mohammed Qasim, who had left her home to play outside in Muslimabad Colony on Tuesday afternoon, was found stuffed in a gunny bag at a main gate of the street leading to her home near Mustafa Masjid in Muslimabad later that evening. Doctors confirmed that she was subjected to “violent rape” before being murdered.

Murder of 6-Year-Old Boy in Karachi. 8 July- 2026.
A missing six-year-old boy was found raped and murdered near Karachi’s Lea Market on 8 July 2026, Wednesday, with the police claiming to have arrested a 20-year-old suspect who happened to be a
neighbor of the victim. After allegedly killing the boy, the suspect kept the body on the rooftop
of his house. It was later thrown from the third floor into an empty plot on Tuesday night, wrapped in a gunny bag, according to the DIG. Residents of the area noticed the incident and opened the bag, discovering the body.
Hope and Solutions: A Call to Action
Change is possible in such a critical problem.
1. Strengthening laws and their strong Implementation can lower the cases.
2. Neighbors and citizens should keep their eyes open in their surroundings.
3. Parents should alert their child to the risks in the world and shield them from harm in the future. You can also tell children that people and the world are dangerous.

Conclusion
* Preventing child Sexual Harassment before it starts is possible.
* The “Silent Screams” of abused children demand our attention. Every number shows a child whose childhood has been stolen. By breaking the silence and implementing laws, we can create a safe Pakistan and a world where children spend safe lives.
* Awareness into action. Report abuse. Support survivors. Protect the innocent. The time for change is now.
* Therefore, the criminals involved in such cases should be given punishments like public hanging so that the children can be safe.
* All parents try to develop a protected environment for children free from all forms of violence, especially child sexual abuse.
* Do Not Leave Your Children Unattended. Children depend on adults for their safety and protection. Even a few moments of isolation can create opportunities for offenders to target them.

The Call for Justice and Protection
Child rights organizations, religious leaders, and activists stress that the government and the justice system must take swift, exemplary action to protect the innocent.