By Asim Shahzad
The Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) has released its fact sheet on violence against children in Punjab for January–June 2025, revealing that an average of 23 cases were reported every day across the province. The analysis is based on district-level police data obtained under the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013.
According to SSDO, a total of 4,150 child-related criminal cases were registered in the first six months of the year. Of these, 3,989 cases were challaned, while 3,791 remain under trial. While reporting mechanisms have improved and more cases are being registered, SSDO warned that conviction rates remain critically low and require urgent attention.
Despite the scale and seriousness of the offences, only 12 convictions were recorded during the six-month period.
Sexual abuse is among the most alarming categories, with 717 cases registered, 658 challaned, and 581 still under trial. The category saw 12 acquittals and 8 withdrawals — but not a single conviction.
Child beggary emerged as the most frequently reported crime, with 2,693 cases registered across Punjab. Of these, 2,674 were challaned and 2,669 remain under trial, yet none resulted in conviction.
Other forms of exploitation remain a major concern. Child trafficking saw 332 cases, leading to just 4 convictions, while 182 cases of child labour resulted in 8 convictions — the highest number across categories but still extremely low compared to the reported offences. Meanwhile, 87 cases of physical abuse and 27 cases of kidnapping produced no convictions.
Child marriage continues to be severely underreported, with only 12 cases registered in the first half of 2025 and no convictions or acquittals. SSDO stated that cultural barriers, stigma, and procedural gaps contribute to chronic underreporting.
District-wise data identifies Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot as major hotspots for child abuse, exploitation and trafficking. Lahore recorded the highest number of sexual abuse, child beggary and trafficking cases, while Nankana Sahib, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin also showed elevated trafficking trends.
Overall, the findings highlight major weaknesses in Punjab’s child protection system — extremely low conviction rates, thousands of cases pending trial, weak investigations, and persistent underreporting of sensitive crimes. SSDO called for urgent reforms, including stronger investigative capacity, fast-tracked trials, improved inter-departmental coordination, expanded child protection units and greater community-level awareness.
SSDO emphasized that protecting children requires a whole-of-government and whole-of-society approach to ensure justice, accountability and long-term safety for every child.
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