The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights on Tuesday summoned officials over delays in justice and non-reporting of child abuse cases as it reviewed child protection measures, digital safety protocols and labour welfare safeguards across the country. The meeting, chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri, was briefed by the DIG Investigation Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP) and the Deputy Secretary Home Department on actions against child abuse and preventive strategy frameworks.

The Chief Welfare Protection Officer highlighted that under the Child Protection Act passed in 2010, multi-stakeholder mechanisms involving police, schools, district commissioner offices and community social workers were actively addressing child abuse across educational institutions, madrasas, child labour and street begging. Officials noted that community awareness driven by social media had increased public reporting and trust in official channels. However, the Director General Child Protection expressed severe concern over a surge in peer-to-peer child abuse linked to minors accessing explicit adult content at home, reporting 855 cases in KP in 2025 and over 1,700 nationwide.

During detailed deliberations on provincial reporting and legal performance, the committee directed KP officials to submit the exact terms of reference (TORs) governing community-level child protection units. Operational reports revealed that out of 625 registered cases in KP, 576 cases had been processed and more than 300 submitted for court trial, while convictions remained at approximately 6%. The committee expressed serious concern over the absence of a localised Forensic Science Laboratory (FSL) in KP, noting that critical evidence degrades during transport delays to external facilities.

Senator Aimal Wali questioned how more than 12,000 cases remained unresolved in Punjab despite having specialised forensic laboratories. He further pointed out that procedural loopholes and flawed investigative reporting consistently led to weak prosecution. Representatives from the Punjab Prosecution Department confirmed that the last capital punishment execution occurred in 2019, leaving sentences unenforced. The committee commended the exceptional bravery of a four-year-old child abuse survivor in an Islamabad school, with members resolving to personally visit the young victim.