The Sindh High Court (SHC) has observed that the Sindh police need to sensitise its investigators regarding cases involving juvenile victims of sexual abuse by providing them requisite training to deal with such cases.
Dismissing the appeal of a convict in a minor child sexual abuse case, the SHC’s division bench headed by Justice Omar Sial observed that the victims and their families often faced shame and stigma making it more difficult for them to come forward.
The high court observed that the legal system presented hurdles for survivors and there was prevalent risk of children being disbelieved or blamed by their own families. The bench observed that the prevailing consensus in 2026 was that while legal system must remain vigilant against false claims, the statistical probability of a child fabricating a sexual abuse report from scratch was exceptionally low.
Ashok was sentenced to 14 years of imprisonment by an additional district and sessions court that found him guilty of sexually abusing a minor girl and taking inappropriate photographs of her in the Clifton area on May 23, 2022.
According to the prosecution, the appellant committed immoral acts with the minor girl and took her photos, which was found by his daughter-in-law in his phone who informed the parents of the victim.
A counsel for the appellant submitted that there were discrepancies in the statements of the witnesses and happening of the incident and the benefit of the doubt should be given to the appellant.
The SHC observed that the appellant did not provide any reply regarding why the victim and her family member accused him of such a heinous offence and he also failed to provide any satisfactory reasons of his implication in the case.
The bench observed that sexual abuse of the child could not be dealt with in a stereotypical manner. The SHC observed that the testimony of the minor was confidence-inspiring, trustworthy and true and superior courts already held that conviction could be sustained on the sole testimony of the victim if it was trustworthy. The high court dismissed the appeal observing that there was no reason to interfere with the judgment of the trial court.
