The Punjab government will observe February 7 as the child protection day. The step is being taken after surfacing of the child sexual abuse cases in Kasur and other parts of the country.

A School Education Department officials said that the education department officers and teachers will guide the boy and girl students about the child abuse and how to avoid it. Moreover, other methods like guiding videos or use of other AV Aids may also be used to highlight the issue.

He said that it was a very sensitive issue and there is a very thin line between the sacred relations and the child guidance.

The younger students of the primary classes will be educated about their bodies like the good touch and bad touch. Moreover, basics of sexuality, that is though awkward or a taboo topic in our society will also be taught to the students.

Ejaz Baloch, a school principal, said that one day as child protection day was not enough. He said that the campaign should continue for a month or at least fortnight seeing the sensitivity of the issue.

He said that the need is to expand the dissemination to private educational institutions, Madaris and all those places where minors serve like tea stalls, workshops etc. He said that one day should be fixed for the parent-teacher meeting on the issue.

The parents should also be fed how to talk to their children about the uncomfortable topic of the child abuse. “Start the discussion citing the tragic rape-murder incidents of Kasur and tell them that a concerted effort on the part of the government, civil society, teachers, and parents will help fight this menace” Baloch suggested.

A retired Headmistress Parveen Akhtar said that the need is to hire the child specialists, psychologists, NGOs let alone the government officers. She said that the parents be taught to extend love and reduce distance towards their children so they feel easy to talk to them on such matters.

Moreover, the teachers and parents should be taught how to see signs of abuse that is not easy to recognize, Parveen stated. “If they notice any behavioural changes such as anxiety or isolation or any other physical signs like rashes etc in them, don’t feel shy to talk to them about all aspects” she added.

Dr Usama said that the child abuse victims usually turn to be the child abusers. The need is to have an eye on such people and to continue their therapy to save others from them, Usama told.

The government should also start a comprehensive program for the rehabilitation of the child abuse victims, he advised. Sorry state of affairs of street children in the province was also alarming who become an easy victim to the predator, he held.

Dr Iftikhar Ahmad said that the new trend they witnessed after the Kasur children sexual scandal, Punjab too was at the threshold of child prostitution or pornography.

The affected families should be encouraged to report the cases to police, civil society, NGOs or the civil administration.

He said that the district judge should appoint a separate magistrate to register and hear cases on child abuse. The police attitude observed in the Kasur mishaps should be undermined, he said. “Since without police shelter no brothel, gambling or child pornography racket could be run, the need is to establish civil citizen desks at the Police Stations fully empowered to register such cases,” Dr Iftikhar said.

Moreover, all the Ombudsman offices established on the tehsil level if given magisterial powers may also register and hear the child abuse cases.

If the government had taken the massive child abuse cases happened in Kasur during 2015, the rape and murder of a dozen minor girls, aged between five to eight years, during 2017 could be avoided.

No institution focused that the strategy in all the cases of Aiman Fatima, Fauzia, Noor Fatima, Sana, Asma and Laiba, Zainab etc were same. They were kidnapped, raped and their dead bodies were later found from garbage heaps of the city.

When the law minister didn’t admit occurring of the child sex abuses how the process to legislate on such affairs could be initiated, Dr Iftikhar questioned.

Moreover, a pictorial campaign on media channels, children magazines, textbooks and notebooks should also be launched.

The parents should bar underage web users and the PTA should have a check on the abusive material on the internet. The PTA should devise a mechanism to that the user should register him while using the internet or abusive sights.

There should be a complete ban on the use of android cell phones in the schools and colleges, he suggested.