Punjab to raise awareness among schoolchildren against sexual abuse

• Punjab government will raise awareness among school children regarding sexual abuse.
• Department of School Education said students have to be sensitized on this issue,
• More boys than girls become victims of sexual abuse in the province.

LAHORE: The Punjab government has decided to raise awareness among school children regarding sexual abuse incidents in schools.

The provincial government has decided to step up the efforts against child sexual abuse by providing special subjects for schoolchildren as the matter is still considered taboo to discuss with children.

The decision stems from the rising incidents of violence targeting children in an effort to prevent sexual abuse in the province. Department of School Education has issued a notification issuing directives to educational authorities in all districts.

It said students have to be sensitized on this issue, while teachers and school heads should conduct lectures to prevent violence against children.

According to the plan, schoolchildren will be educated about avoiding suspicious persons and sexual harassment while students will be encouraged to share information about violence within school premises.

Earlier this month, the Punjab home department shared that more boys than girls become victims of incidents of sexual abuse in the province.

The shocking report revealed that 70 percent of child abuse victims in Punjab were boys, as the region reported over 1,400 incidents in the first five months of 2023.

The report compiled on the numeration of such cases from January to June 15, 2023, revealed that in a span of less than six months, 1,390 cases of child abuse were reported in the province.

To make matters worse, around 69% (959 cases) of the reported cases involved minor boys, while the remaining 31% (431 cases) involved girls.

Moreover, the report said 55% of the perpetrators were the neighbours of victims, 13% were relatives, and 32% were strangers.

The most rape cases in Punjab were registered in Gujranwala, where 220 cases were reported. Rawalpindi and Lahore reported the lowest rape cases at 69 and 89, respectively.

Furthermore, DG Khan reported 199 incidents; Faisalabad 186; Multan 140; Bahawalpur 129, Sheikhupura 128, Sahiwal 127,  and Sargodha 103.