Pakistan Child Abuse Report: 1,914 Cases Recorded in Six Months

ISLAMABAD: A new child protection report has brought renewed national attention to the safety of minors in Pakistan after documenting 1,914 reported cases of abuse and exploitation during the first six months of 2026.

The figures, released by child protection organisation Sahil, cover incidents reported between January and June across Pakistan’s four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan. The report places Punjab at the top of the list, accounting for 80 percent of the total reported cases.

According to the data, the six-month tally included 1,015 cases of sexual abuse, 558 abductions, 101 missing children and 35 cases of child marriage. The report also recorded 98 cases linked to post-abuse recorded or online exploitation, while 49 abandoned newborns were found by roadsides.

Sahil’s findings show that girls made up 58 percent of the victims, while boys accounted for 42 percent. The age group facing the highest recorded risk was 11 to 15 years, with 598 reported victims, followed by 16 to 18 years, 6 to 10 years and children aged five or below.

The report also underlines a deeply troubling pattern in which children were often harmed by people already known to them. Acquaintances were identified as alleged perpetrators in 43 percent of reported cases, while strangers were linked to 34 percent, leaving the relationship unmentioned in several other incidents.

Places considered familiar or safe also featured prominently in the data. About 45 percent of offences reportedly occurred inside victims’ own homes, while 18 percent took place at the homes of alleged offenders, raising difficult questions about supervision, household vulnerability and community-level child protection.

Urban areas reported a higher share of cases at 57 percent, compared with 43 percent from rural regions. After Punjab, Sindh accounted for 15 percent of the cases, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, AJK and Gilgit-Baltistan together made up the remaining five percent.

The law enforcement picture remained mixed. The report said 89 percent of the incidents were registered with police, but the status of registration was not available in 11 percent of cases, while seven incidents went unregistered and police allegedly refused to register one case.

The findings come against the backdrop of repeated calls for stronger implementation of child protection laws, faster investigations and better coordination between police, schools, social welfare departments and local communities. Pakistan has introduced legal mechanisms in recent years, but reporting gaps, social stigma and weak prosecution continue to limit meaningful protection for vulnerable children.

The latest numbers are likely to intensify pressure on provincial and federal authorities to improve prevention systems, public awareness campaigns and survivor support services. The next step will be whether policymakers treat the report as a warning signal and move beyond condemnation toward stronger enforcement, early intervention and safer reporting channels for children and families.