The horrific report by The Nation on a Kasur-based gang allegedly involved in child pornography has sent shock waves throughout Pakistan. As I think about the different parts of the report, the picture that forms in my mind in not limited to Kasur. To me, it is not merely a child sex-abuse scandal. To me it is much of what is wrong with our society. And while this latest report has shaken the collective conscience of Pakistan, it is merely a wake-up call about the phenomenon of child sexual abuse that is so rampant it is nothing but escapism to consider it an uncommon occurrence.
Without going into any sociological and anthropological discourse about a "taboo" subject like homosexuality, and the fascination with male pornography in a patriarchal, male-dominated nation like Pakistan's, suffice it to say it exists in all strata of society. The Kasur sex-abuse case is not about individual choices to indulge in homosexual acts; the Kasur sex-abuse case is a series of sexual exploitation of underage males, spanning over years, reportedly 2006 to present day. It is a crime against humanity on multiple levels: moral, social, legal, even if the religious aspect is set aside for a moment. Forcing minor, adolescent boys to perform sexual acts on one another, video-taping the acts, blackmailing the victims and perpetrators -- in this case minors -- and their families, and distributing/selling the videos in local market and on the internet are all bookable crimes under any moral, social or legal code.
And that brings into focus the other ills that endorse and enable the perpetuation of such crimes, some acting as an inducement to minors being lured into participating in acts that they are either too young to understand the enormity of, or too afraid to stop their occurrence.
The weaknesses and loopholes of an inherently flawed legal system, which serve as an enabler of the exploitation of a certain class, go hand in glove with the corruption and cronyism of the political paradigm. Police stations do not serve as a place where all are equal, and for a person from the underprivileged class to even have an FIR registered becomes more problematic than the original issue. Once an FIR is registered, there is blatant disregard to investigating the complaint, and slapdash attention is given to questioning and apprehending - if the case is strong - the perpetrator. Court cases drag on longer than the complainant's life, and even when convicted, most perpetrators - especially those endowed with any or all of the trifecta - power, money, connections - manage to escape the sentence on bail, or get a reduced sentence.
Political patronage of the police is a fact of life, and when they are not acting as the personal security detail of the self-avowed VIPs, the overworked, underpaid police are busy rounding up the usual suspects from a certain class, while ignoring the real accused. Money talks, and bribery walks. How the elected members of the provincial and federal governments exploit their constituents -- from one election to another -- ignoring their day-to-day issues, and even the big ones like the rape of their underage boys is an indication of the weakness of the political system that is based on the manifesto of serving the nation but fail to do so caught up in protecting criminals.
The biggest issue, the elephant in the room, is the staggering number of out-of-school children in Pakistan. Out of approximately 25 million out-of-school children, as per an Alif Ailaan report, 13 million are in Punjab, and while there is a huge tom-toming of government's efforts to overhaul the education system, this number is a stark manifestation of the low prioritization of education. There would be no noteworthy decrease in the malaise until parents/guardians of children are fined, penalized or locked up for their failure to send a child to school. Education may not have the same connotation for everyone, but as per the Article 25-A of the Constitution of Pakistan it is mandatory for government to ensure free and compulsory education to children. School-going children are less susceptible to falling into hands of different mafias that are in the business of exploitation of children, especially boys, from a certain income-bracket. Beggary, prostitution, bonded labor, trafficking and present-day slavery exist, and out-of-school children become the easiest prey.
Sexual abuse exists on all levels in all societies all over the world. While it is important to inculcate a sense of security in children empowering them to voice their thoughts and fears, it is also important to remain attentive to the changes in the temperament of a child. Sexual exploitation engenders a state of fear in the victims, silencing and internalising their grief, ergo it is imperative to create a responsive environment, encouraging an ethos of talking and sharing.
Sexual abuse is not a taboo. Sexual abuse is a crime, and like any other crime it must be reported, investigated and punished. That is the least that the collective conscience of a society and a nation owes to a victim, whose physical, mental and emotional trauma remain unforgettable, and in some cases, irreparable.
(The edited version of this blog was printed in the Express Tribune, Pakistan on August 14, 2015)