Tag: Home Department

  • 69 per cent of child abuse victims are boys, report reveals

    69 per cent of child abuse victims are boys, report reveals

    A ‘confidential’ report from the home department has revealed that the number of boys facing atrocities of child abuse is higher than that of girls in Punjab.

    Dawn shared the findings of the said report on Friday, revealing that during the first five and a half months of 2023, a total of 1,390 incidents of child abuse were reported in Punjab, among them 69 per cent were boys while 31 per cent were girls.

    The report identified several key factors hindering the control of sexual crimes against children and it also provided recommendations to combat them.

    The report disclosed that out of all the culprits facing trials in courts in cases of child abuse, 55 per cent were neighbors, 32 per cent were strangers, and 13 per cent were relatives.

    Furthermore, the report revealed that Gujranwala region/division reported the highest number of child abuse incidents (220), followed by DG Khan (199), Faisalabad (186), Multan (140), Bahawalpur (129), Sheikhupura (128), Sahiwal (127), Sargodha (103), and others. The Rawalpindi region and Lahore city had the lowest numbers, with 69 and 89 cases, respectively.

    “It is also concerning that many cases go unreported. Fear and cultural taboos in our society make it difficult to report such crimes,” read the findings of the report. It underscored that lack of support from family members, friends, neighbors, or the community makes it immensely difficult for the victim to speak up against the abuser.

    The home department recommended that the Child Protection and Welfare Bureau (CPWB) play a more active role in child protection. It suggested that the CPWB should have a dedicated team of professionals, including child protection officers, psychologists, law officers, and doctors, to safeguard children from abuse and aid victim rehabilitation.

    The report stressed the need for a well-defined coordination mechanism among different stakeholders, including police, parents, CPWBs, and relevant federal and provincial agencies. It strongly recommended that national and provincial legislatures review existing child protection laws and reform the existing apparatus.

    The home department has sent the report to the Lahore Capital City Police Officer (CCPO) and the Regional Police Officers (RPOs) for strict implementation of provided recommendations.

  • Punjab IG’s office to also be protected by Rangers after lawyers’ protest

    Punjab IG’s office to also be protected by Rangers after lawyers’ protest

    Following the attack on the Punjab Institute of Cardiology (PIC), the government has decided to deploy Rangers at important locations of the city including IGP [Inspector General of Police] office.

    Journalist Talat Hussain in his recent tweet has shared an official order from the government in which the interior ministry has directed the home department to deploy of rangers outside state institutes for maintainance of law and order in the city.

    According to the interior ministry’s order, 10 platoons and two companies of the paramilitary force have been deployed in the city. Other important places where platoons will be stationed include Governor House and at the area surrounding Lahore GOR I and II among others.

    The paramilitary force has been deployed under the Pakistan Rangers Ordinance 1959 provision seven and 10.

    Lawyers on Wednesday stormed the emergency ward of the PIC, vandalising public property, setting a police vehicle on fire and attacking provincial minister Fayyaz ul Hasan Chohan.

    The attack resulted into deaths of four people, while several patients were forced out of the building to sit on footpaths. The mob also destroyed millions worth of health equipment inside the hospital and caused damaged to the hospital building.