n Pakistan, conversations on child sexual abuse usually begin with a case that shocks the nation and ends with promises of action that gradually fade until another tragedy demands attention. The recent incidents in Sargodha, Karachi, Lahore and elsewhere are the latest reminders that while names and places change, the questions that remain unanswered are painfully familiar.

These heartbreaking cases have rightly generated public concern and renewed calls for justice. They also force a more difficult question: why does child sexual abuse continue to persist despite years of awareness campaigns, legal reforms, advocacy initiatives and repeated commitments to protect children?

The National Commission on the Rights of the Child’s reports—State of Children in Pakistan—show that the police across Islamabad, the Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and Balochistan registered more than 39,000 child sexual offences during 2024 and 2025. These figures represent only the cases that reached the police. Many more incidents almost certainly remain hidden because children fear speaking out; families hesitate to report abuse; victims face stigma or intimidation; and some children simply do not know whom they can safely trust.

Put another way, the police registered more than 50 cases involving child sexual offences every day during 2024 and 2025. Only a handful ever generated the kind of national attention that the recent cases did. That attention matters because it mobilises institutions, accelerates official responses and strengthens public demand for accountability. But a country should not need an exceptionally horrific case to recognise that child sexual abuse is not an occasional tragedy. It is a daily reality that demands sustained policy attention rather than periodic outrage.

Pakistan has not been idle on that front.

Over the past decade, campaigns have been launched; educational materials developed; pilot programmes introduced in schools; laws enacted; policies approved; and commitments made at both national and international levels. None of these efforts were without value. Parents today are generally more aware of child sexual abuse than they were a decade ago. Public sensitivity has grown and more cases are reaching law enforcement agencies. But awareness—valuable as it has been—was never going to be enough on its own.

Prevention begins long before a crime is committed. This means creating environments where children are safer because families, schools, communities and institutions recognise risks early and act before abuse occurs.

Too often, awareness has been treated as the finish line rather than the starting point for sustained prevention efforts. Much of Pakistan’s work on child protection has been linked to individual projects, funding cycles or public attention following tragic incidents rather than being embedded within permanent government systems. Many initiatives have produced positive results but too few have evolved into sustained public policy. As a result, much of the child protection response continues to be reactive rather than preventive.

Public attention rises after each tragedy. Emergency meetings are convened and commitments are renewed but momentum frequently fades once the immediate crisis passes. Child sexual abuse does not occur in cycles; our commitment to preventing it should not either.

The police registered more than 50 cases involving child sexual offences every day during 2024 and 2025.

Parents remain the first line of protection and most genuinely want to keep their children safe. Yet many have never received practical guidance on discussing body safety, personal boundaries, grooming behaviours or online risks with their children. This is not a parenting failure. It reflects how little structured support exists to help families have these conversations, even though credible guidance from child protection organisations and health professionals is now more accessible than ever online.

The gap is not information; it is translation—helping families turn what is available into conversations and practices they use in everyday life.

Schools carry an equally important responsibility. Education should prepare children for life, not only for examinations. Every child deserves access to age-appropriate learning on personal safety, personal boundaries, recognising inappropriate behaviour and seeking help without fear. Several education departments and civil society organisations have introduced commendable initiatives over the years. Yet child protection education continues to depend largely on projects rather than becoming a guaranteed and age-appropriate component of the education system.

Communities also have a role that remains underutilised. Child sexual abuse frequently occurs within familiar settings where neighbours, relatives and teachers may notice warning signs long before authorities become involved. However, community-based child protection mechanisms at the village, union council and neighbourhood levels remain limited and under-resourced.

Prevention cannot be left to families alone. It requires communities that are informed, vigilant and equipped to respond.

The same principle applies to institutions working with children. Schools, madrassahs, healthcare facilities, sports clubs, residential institutions and other child-serving organisations should all have functioning child safeguarding policies, trained staff, appropriate screening of personnel and confidential reporting mechanisms. Child safeguarding should become a standard professional obligation supported by an appropriate legal, regulatory and oversight framework rather than a best practice adopted only by the most committed institutions. Equally important, children who disclose abuse must be met with belief, safety and timely support rather than blame or silence.

Preventing child sexual abuse cannot be the responsibility of any single institution. Families, schools, communities, media, police, child protection authorities, healthcare professionals, civil society organisations and governments all carry distinct but interconnected responsibilities. Child protection is strongest when these efforts reinforce one another. It is weakest when each institution assumes someone else will fill the gap.

The recent tragedies should become a turning point for strengthening Pakistan’s efforts to prevent child sexual abuse. They should mark the moment when Pakistan finally treats prevention as essential public infrastructure rather than a series of isolated initiatives. Building protective environments for children requires sustained political commitment, long-term investment, stronger safeguarding standards, empowered parents, informed children, supportive communities and institutions that work together consistently rather than intermittently.

Justice for survivors will always remain indispensable. But the ultimate measure of Pakistan’s commitment to its children will not be the speed of its response after the next tragic case but the success in preventing the next child from becoming a victim.

The writer, the executive director of Search for Justice, has over 19 years of experience in human rights, particularly in child protection policy, governance and institutional reform. He can be reached at [email protected].