- Title: Pakistani town grapples with grim history of child abuse abduction
- Date: 24th September 2019
- Summary: CHUNIAN, KASUR, PAKISTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) (SOUNDBITE) (Urdu) UNIDENTIFIED POLICE OFFICER, SAYING: "I have full faith in Allah that, because of the lines we are working on, the culprits - whether it is a single person, or more than one persons, will be in our custody soon, God willing. We are moving in the right direction." LAHORE, PAKISTAN (RECENT) (REUTERS) SARAH AHMED, CHAIRPERSON OF CHILD PROTECTION AND WELFARE BUREAU (CPWB), SEATED IN HER OFFICE (SOUNDBITE) (English) CHAIRPERSON OF CHILD PROTECTION AND WELFARE BUREAU (CPWB), SARAH AHMED, SAYING: "I think this child abuse is a huge, huge challenge, not just in Kasur, but these cases are coming a lot in, and are being reported in Punjab on a daily basis. I myself deal with child abuse cases and I take action on them. So I'm also watching this since last six months when I joined. I think this is some psychopath, some serial killer involved in this; and it's about reshaping the society as a whole, which cannot be done overnight. It will take time."
- Embargoed: 8th October 2019 03:30
- Keywords: child abuse abduction bodies sexual assault murder boys
- Location: CHUNIAN, KASUR, LAHORE, PAKISTAN
- City: CHUNIAN, KASUR, LAHORE, PAKISTAN
- Country: Pakistan
- Topics: Crime/Law/Justice,Crime
- Reuters ID: LVA004AY0LYYV
- Aspect Ratio: 16:9
- Story Text: EDITORS NOTE: QUALITY AS INCOMING
Grief, fear and anger have enveloped the town of Chunian in Pakistan's eastern, Punjab province after the bodies of three missing children were found in a district which has seen numerous cases of child abuse and abductions in recent years.
Police said on Monday (September 23) they had made twenty arrests as they investigated the suspected murders and sexual assault of the boys. The body of Muhammad Faizan had been found the previous week, a day after he went missing.
Faizan, 8, had failed to return home with his brother when the two went to nearby shops to buy snacks. His body and the remains of two more boys were later found on a deserted section of an industrial estate.
"The animal brutalized my child. I cannot bear this. I want justice," Faizan's mother, Amtal Salam. The family home overlooks the grave of her young son.
Local media reported three other children from the area have been missing since the middle of the year and another child had disappeared late last week after the bodies were found.
Videos of hundreds of local children being sexually assaulted were caught circulating in 2015, which a senior child protection official at the time called the largest child abuse scandal in Pakistan's history.
Last year, the body of a 7-year-old girl was found in a garbage dumptster, which police said was the twelfth incident of a girl being abducted, raped and killed in the district in a year, and sparked violent protests. A man was convicted of the murder and executed.
Hundreds more protested last week, blocking off streets and damaging shops.
Families in the area are fearful of the welfare and safety of their children.
"Now the children are afraid to go to the mosques, they are afraid to go to school. Announcements have been made that parents should escort their children to school," said Shehnaz Bibi, a housewife from a neighbouring village.
Police are continuing to investigate the suspected murders and disappearances and are also looking into the possibility of a serial killer.
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