Dubai: In a bid to protect children in the country, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has announced to launch a dedicated app “Mera Bacha Alert” (my child alert).
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The aim of launching the app is to effectively tackle incidents of child abuse, child abduction and the missing children in Pakistan
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Prime Minister Imran Khan has directed the authorities concerned to create the mobile phone app within two weeks. The app will also be connected with the Pakistan Citizen Portal, which is used to register any grievances or complaints from citizens.
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The move comes after four children from Kasur district went missing a few months ago and their decomposed bodies were found last month. The children were murdered after alleged rape. The incident lead to violent protests in the country and the government had to take action against police officers for failing to act fast.
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According to the Prime Minister Office (PMO) press release, the app will be used to circulate information about the affected children to all provincial Inspectors General of Police and other senior police officials.
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Imran told the federal cabinet on Tuesday that progress had been made in investigations of child abuse and child abduction cases, which will help in the arrests of the accused persons.
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He said that since the parents do not often reveal child-related incidents due to social stigma and other reasons, the government will take all possible measures to ensure the protection of innocent children and penalise those involved in such crimes.
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Child abuse cases in Pakistan
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Child abuse is a common occurrence in Pakistan. Reported cases of child abuse increased by 11 percent in the year 2018 compared to 2017, with more than 10 children suffering some form of abuse every day in Pakistan last year, a report released by the NGO Sahil has revealed.
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As per the report, as many as 1300 children have had to face sexual abuse of some kind during the first six months of this year in Pakistan.
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The report by NGO specifically took into consideration the incidents of sexual violence against children between January and June this year and concluded that the almost a shocking 1,304 cases had been reported during the mentioned period, according The News.
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As many as 729 girls and 575 boys suffered sexual abuse of some kind between Jan-Jun 2019, the report revealed.
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There had been 652 report cases in Punjab, 458 in Sindh, 32 in Balochistan, 51 in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa and 90 in Islamabad.
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The report further mentioned that as many as 50 children became victims of sexual abuse in Lahore alone.
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