The predators hiding behind friendly online chats
Pakistani teenager Zara Shah was targeted by a stranger while playing a computer game, drawn into a conversation that would expose her to terrifying online sexual exploitation.
A Pakistani teenager, Zara Shah, encountered a stranger while playing an online game which led to her being exposed to severe online sexual exploitation. According to a United Nations Children's Fund (Unicef) report, approximately 1.5 million children in Pakistan experienced online sexual abuse within a year. The abuser, who was known to Zara, initially pretended to be a friendly acquaintance before pressuring her for explicit images.
Zara refused, but the abuser threatened to expose her to her family. Unicef reports that around 85% of perpetrators were known to the victims, who were aged between 12 and 17. The abuse often begins with a friendly conversation, a gaming interaction, or a promise of gifts, romance, or money. In conservative Pakistan, only 29% of victims reported the abuse through formal channels such as police, helplines, or social workers, mostly due to stigma, shame, and fear.
Most reported abuse occurred entirely online through platforms like Snapchat and WhatsApp. Girls in Pakistan face heightened risks of sexual extortion, which can lead to restrictions on their mobility or withdrawal from school. Despite the increasing internet usage among Pakistani children aged 12 to 17, there are growing concerns over online safety.
The Punjab government recently banned children under 16 from using social media, but it has faced opposition. Pakistan has legal framework addressing tech-facilitated offences against children, but there is no implementation, and experts say there are loopholes in existing laws.
Written by urgent.news from New Straits Times's reporting — not their text. Machine-written — may contain errors; check the original before relying on it.
