‘I live in fear’: 1.5 million Pakistani children face online sexual abuse

Islamabad, Sept 21 - An estimated 1.5 million children in Pakistan have been victims of online sexual abuse in the past year, according to a recent report by the UN children’s agency, Unicef. One such victim, teenage girl Zara Shah, was targeted on a computer game by a stranger who exploited her, threatening to expose her to her family if she refused to send explicit photos.

The report reveals that in 85 percent of cases, the perpetrator was known to the victim, who is typically aged between 12 and 17. Often, the abuse starts with a seemingly innocent conversation or a promise of gifts, slowly escalating to coercion and blackmail. In Pakistan, a predominantly Muslim country, 71 percent of victims did not report the abuse to anyone, due to stigma, shame, and fear of societal backlash.

Mehek Naeem, director of Pahchaan, a children’s rights organization, stated that 44 percent of reported abuse took place entirely online, with Snapchat and WhatsApp being the most common platforms. The Pakistani provincial government in Punjab recently passed a resolution barring children under 16 from using social media, but critics argue that the ban lacks implementation and violates children's freedom of expression.

Pakistan's existing legal framework to address tech-facilitated offences against children is largely unimplemented, according to experts. Human rights lawyer Salman Afridi emphasized that the issue highlights how economic vulnerability can be weaponized for the production of sexual content. For Zara and countless others, the fear of speaking up lingers, as they carry the trauma of an online experience that began with a simple game.