Broken Bodies

Broken Bodies
Published in the 'Quiet Panic' section of NICHE Lifestyle
Vol 1, Issue 3, 2007


By Fariha Rashed
June 6th, 2004. A 6-year-old boy named Talha is reportedly sexually abused by his Quran teacher but religious groups pressurize the boy's family to withdraw the complaint. He was allegedly assaulted by a maulvi (Islamic religious priest) at a Mosque on College Road, in Green Town. Talha's grandfather registered the First Information Report (FIR) at Green Town Police Station against the maulvi under Section 12/7 of the Hudood Ordinances on 7th June 2004. According to the FIR, during the afternoon of 6th June 2004, Talha's mother went to the Mosque because Talha, who went to there to study, did not come back home at his usual time. When she arrived in the mosque, she found that her son was lying in the corridor. He was bleeding and unconscious. At that time, the maulvi who had abused him was not in the mosque. Talha's family asked for help from their neighbors and they helped to ensure that the maulvi in question was found and taken into police custody. Later, Talha clearly identified the said maulvi as his attacker in front of the Green Town police and gave his statement about the incident. The initial medical report confirmed that Talha was sexually abused. The maulvi is currently detained at Kot Lakhpat Jail. However, according to Talha's family, various religious groups, where the maulvi reportedly studied, pressurized them to withdraw the case. It was reported that some of their neighbors in Nasir Colony were also pressurizing the family to withdraw the charges against the accused. The family got worried that the Islamic Religious Priests might threaten the whole community. In addition, in such circumstances, police investigators are also allegedly pressurized by religious groups. According to Mr. Mahmoodul Hassan, the Green Town Investigation Deputy Superintendent of Police, the police called a meeting of the maulvis and the family on 17th June 2004. An investigating officer Aftab Pervez said the police's job was to investigate the case and if the complainants and accused wanted to reach a compromise that was up to them.

This is just one extreme case. Shockingly, a huge percentage of our kids are being exposed to sex for the first time in their lives through their qaari's [religious teachers]. It is estimated, that nearly every second person has been abused in childhood and the usual culprits are religious teachers. Unfortunately, no accurate data is available for us to be able to estimate to what degree child sexual abuse is being practiced in Pakistan, because it is an issue which everyone either prefers to deny or hide. However, statistics from a few small-scale studies by some daring NGOs (Non governmental organizations) provide critical evidence of its existence in society. This horrific phenomenon is a major problem but an unexplored subject in Pakistan. According to statistics, it appears that girls are more likely to be molested by family members, acquaintances and neighbors, whereas the majority of boys are molested by teachers and total strangers. Notably, both girls and boys have a high risk of being molested by shopkeepers as well.

People hesitate while discussing this issue due to strong taboos inherent in our society. They do not want to talk about this shameful act even if they come to know that their child is a victim of sexual abuse. They want to hide it. They prefer to be silent over the safety of their child so that they can protect the honor of their family. This attitude stems from a number of factors ranging from the concept of (izzat) honor to the difficult and cumbersome effort of seeking retribution. The fact is that child sexual abuse is prevalent in Pakistani society irrespective of relations, community, status, gender or age group. Today parents are not giving proper attention to their children. Their children are being abused by religious teachers, right under their noses. The home, a place where a child is meant to feel the safest, is being turned into a place he/she associates abuse with. The ‘qari’, a person who is meant to be associated with knowledge and religion, is being seen as a monster by these unsuspecting children.

There is actually no universal definition for child sexual abuse. But when an older person, such as a ‘qari’, uses his/her authority with a sexual intent, to indulge in any sort of sexual activity with a child, it is termed child sexual abuse. Many of us are unaware of how children around us are being abused by others. If, parents, elder siblings, teachers and other people take this issue seriously and vigilantly track the activities of their children then this abomination can certainly be eradicated. Every child is innocent and trusting by nature. A sexually abused child loses his peace of mind and in most cases gets severe psychological and behavioral problems. It affects his daily life, education, character and interactions with others.

Wrong actions and impressions of others leave permanent harmful side effects on the overall personality of a child. Media, which calls itself socially responsible, should be strongly urged to play a vital role in this regard and help get the desired results. Today we are providing children with easy access to the internet, Indian and English music and movie channels. Our children are not equipped with proper information and guidance to decide what is right and what is not, and their parents and teachers are further failing them in this regard. Therefore, they are easily trapped, and abused by others.

Media’s power should be used to address the matter in an effective manner. TV channels, children pages in newspapers and children’s magazines can play an important role in this respect. I suggest that these programmes and articles be produced by experienced psychologists only, who are the best judges about at what age what sort of information should be effective for a particular child. Teacher training programmes must be launched in every school to raise awareness and help eradicate sexual abuse from our society.

Every child, despite his individual differences and uniqueness, is to be considered of equal socio, economic, civil and political status, so that he may fully realize his inherited potential and be able to share equally in life, liberty and happiness. How can child abuse be wiped out from the society? It is a centuries old tradition for children to be obedient, silent, subservient and accept abuse as their fate. It is high time for them to speak out, speak up and act on the premise of their rights. There is great need to make them aware and also educate people about their child’s rights. Illegality and the consequent devastating impacts of the sexual exploitation of children must also be addressed. The basic problem continues to be that people do not want to acknowledge that they are living in a sordid society.

It is also high time parents and especially mothers start realizing the damaging effect this grave problem is having on their children, and in the broader sense, on the basic fabric of society. Then only, can a concrete solution be developed to eradicate this curse from our society. The role of community, religious leaders and school teachers is key to countering the sexual exploitation of children. Unfortunately, when we come to this point, there is ambivalence at times. There are members of these very groups who themselves contribute to or participate in the sexual exploitation of children. There is a need to sensitize parents and teachers on the crucial issues around child sexual abuse and mobilize them to form networks to protect children. With regard to religious leaders, there is much room for re-enforcing the Convention on the Rights of the Child on non-sectarian terms with the understanding of the child as an ultimate value. Let us strive as a community that cares to stop any further accumulation of ‘broken bodies’.