Cruel Numbers 2022

Sahil’s ‘Cruel Numbers Report 2022’ compiles statistics on child abuse cases in Pakistan. From January to December 2022, data was collected from 81 national and regional newspapers to track incidents of Child Sexual Abuse, Abduction, Missing Children, and Child Marriages. The report reveals that a total of 4253 child abuse cases were reported in Pakistan during this period. The data includes information from all four provinces, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit Baltistan (GB). Specifically, the analysis shows 2123 cases of child sexual abuse (CSA), 712 cases of sodomy, 612 cases of rape, 576 attempted CSA cases, 109 cases of pornography and CSA, 81 cases of murder following CSA, and 33 cases of incest. Additionally, there were 1834 cases of abduction, 428 cases of missing children, and 46 cases of child marriages. Comparing the data to the previous year, the report reveals an increase in the average daily incidents of sexual abuse, rising from 10 children in 2021 to more than 12 children in 2022. Gender-wise, 55% of the victims were girls, while 45% were boys, as indicated by the Cruel Numbers statistics. The analysis of age groups shows that children between the ages of 6-15 are most vulnerable to abuse, with more boys than girls reported as victims. Disturbingly, children as young as 0-5 years old also experienced abuse. In terms of provincial distribution, Punjab accounted for 71% of the reported cases, followed by Sindh with 15%, Islamabad capital territory with 8%, and Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP), Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit Baltistan (GB) each representing 2% of the cases. Regarding the location of the reported cases, 53% were from urban areas, while 47% were from rural areas. It is noteworthy that 89% of the reported cases in 2022 were registered with the police.