Pakistan faces alarming surge in child abuse as nearly 2,000 cases reported in six months

Islamabad: Pakistan recorded a disturbing rise in crimes against children during the first half of 2026, with 1,914 cases of child abuse reported, according to a report released by child protection organisation Sahil, as reported by Dawn.

According to Dawn, 49 infants were found abandoned in separate incidents during the January-June period, while child sexual abuse remained the most commonly reported crime with 1,015 cases. The data also documented 558 abductions, 101 cases involving missing children, and 35 child marriages.

The report was prepared using information published in national and regional newspapers from Pakistan's four provinces, along with Islamabad Capital Territory, Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK) and Pakistan-occupied Gilgit-Baltistan (PoGB).


Girls accounted for 58 per cent of the victims, while children between 11 and 15 years of age emerged as the most affected group. Among the reported victims, 598 were aged 11-15 years, followed by 356 children between 16 and 18 years. Another 329 victims were between six and 10 years old, while 95 children were aged five years or younger. The ages of 487 victims were not disclosed in the available records.

The findings further indicated that perpetrators were frequently known to the victims. Acquaintances were identified as alleged abusers in 43 per cent of reported cases, while strangers accounted for 34 per cent. Nearly 45 per cent of abuse incidents occurred inside victims' homes, compared to 18 per cent at the suspects' residences. Three per cent of cases took place in open fields, while the location was unspecified in 21 per cent of incidents, as highlighted by Dawn.

Urban areas accounted for 57 per cent of reported cases, compared with 43 per cent in rural regions. Punjab recorded the overwhelming majority of incidents at 80 per cent, followed by Sindh with 15 per cent, while the remaining five per cent were reported from other parts of the country, as reported by Dawn.