ISLAMABAD, Mar 16: At least 3,630 child abuse cases were reported across Pakistan in 2025,marking an 8 per cent increase from the year before that, according to data released by a non-profit organisation on Monday.
Sahil, an Islamabad-based entity which monitors violence against children and women, said in a statement that the cases had been reported in 81 different newspapers from across the four provinces, as well as Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and the Gilgit-Baltistan (GB) region.
“In the year 2025, a total number of 3,630 child abuse cases have been reported in 81 different newspapers,” according to the organisation.
It said that gender divide analysis shows that out of the total reported cases of child abuse, 1,924 (53 per cent) of victims were girls, 1,625 (47 per cent) were boys, and 116 cases were of newborn babies.
The data reveals that in a day, more than nine children were abused in the year 2025.
The cases of child abuse have increased by 8 per cent (266 children) as compared to the year 2024, it said.
Abduction was the most commonly reported category, with 1,107 cases, followed by sodomy with 596 cases and rape with 522.
Other reported categories included 365 cases of missing children, 195 cases of attempted rape, 141 cases of attempted sodomy, 130 cases of gang sodomy, 108 cases of gang rape, 58 cases of murder after sexual abuse, and 53 cases of child marriage.
According to the report, children aged between 11 and 15 were the most vulnerable to abuse, with more boys than girls affected in that age group.
It said that acquaintances remained the category most commonly involved in child sexual abuse cases.
The Punjab province accounted for 73 per cent of the total reported child abuse cases, followed by Sindh with 21 per cent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 4 per cent, and 2 per cent from Balochistan, federal areas, PoK and GB combined.
The organisation also said 82 per cent of the reported child abuse cases were registered with police, calling it a positive sign of active policing.
Sahil also released figures on violence against women, saying it had monitored such cases for the past two years.
It said 7,071 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) were reported across the country in 2025, covering categories including murder, suicide, abduction, rape, honour killing and torture. The total also included a small number of cases involving transgender people.
According to Sahil, the 2025 figures showed a 34 per cent rise in GBV cases.
The largest category was murder, with 1,546 cases, followed by 1,345 abductions and 1,169 cases of torture.
There were also 877 reported rape cases, 680 suicides, 449 cases of injury, 316 cases of harassment, 284 honour killings and 41 acid attacks.
The data showed that 32 per cent of abusers in GBV cases were acquaintances, 18 per cent were strangers, and 12 per cent were husbands, while in 20 per cent of cases, the abuser was not mentioned.
Punjab province accounted for 78 per cent of the total GBV cases reported in 2025, followed by Sindh with 14 per cent, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa with 6 per cent, and 2 per cent from Balochistan, ICT, Pok and GB combined.
Sahil has been working since 1996 on child protection, especially against child sexual abuse, according to the organisation. (PTI)
Follow our WhatsApp channel
