Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A total of 1,914 crimes against children, including sexual abuse, abduction and child marriage, were reported across Pakistan during the first six months of 2026, according to a new report released by child protection organisation Sahil.
The six-month report, covering January to June 2026, is based on data compiled from national and regional newspapers and other media sources. It includes cases reported from all four provinces, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
According to the report, the total included 49 newborns who were abandoned by the roadside. It documented 1,015 cases of child sexual abuse, 558 abductions, 101 missing children, 35 child marriages and 98 cases involving sexual abuse followed by pornography.
Girls accounted for 58 per cent of the victims, while boys made up 42 per cent. Children aged 11 to 15 were the most affected, with 598 reported victims, followed by 356 victims aged 16 to 18, 329 aged six to 10 and 95 aged up to five years. The ages of victims were not specified in 487 cases.
The report said 43 per cent of the alleged perpetrators were known to the victims, while 34 per cent were strangers. In 13 per cent of the cases, the relationship between the suspect and the victim was not specified.
Nearly 45 per cent of the incidents occurred in the victims’ homes, 18 per cent at the suspects’ homes and three per cent in open fields. The location of the incident was not mentioned in 21 per cent of the cases.
According to Sahil, 57 per cent of the reported cases occurred in urban areas and 43 per cent in rural areas.
Punjab accounted for 80 per cent of all reported cases, followed by Sindh with 15 per cent, while Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan together accounted for the remaining five per cent.
The report said 89 per cent of the cases were registered with the police. In 11 per cent of the cases, the registration status was not mentioned. Seven cases were not registered with the police, while in one case, police refused to register a complaint.
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