The Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO) has released a shocking fact sheet documenting violence against children in Punjab, revealing that an average of 23 cases were reported daily during the first half of 2025. The comprehensive analysis, based on police data obtained through the Punjab Transparency and Right to Information Act 2013, paints a disturbing picture of child safety in the province.
Alarming Statistics Across Violence Categories
According to the SSDO findings, 4,150 child-related criminal cases were officially registered across Punjab between January and June 2025. While law enforcement showed improved responsiveness with 3,989 cases being challaned, the judicial system struggled with processing these cases, leaving 3,791 still under trial.
The most troubling revelation concerns conviction rates, with only 12 convictions recorded across all categories of violence against children during the six-month period. This critically low conviction rate highlights significant gaps in the justice system's ability to protect vulnerable children.
Sexual Abuse and Child Beggary: Zero Convictions
Sexual abuse emerged as one of the most concerning categories, with 717 cases registered across Punjab. Despite 658 cases being challaned and 581 remaining under trial, the justice system failed to secure even a single conviction in sexual abuse cases. The data shows 12 acquittals and 8 case withdrawals in this category.
Child beggary represented the most frequently reported offence, with 2,693 cases registered province-wide. While law enforcement took action on 2,674 of these cases and 2,669 remain under trial, not a single conviction was achieved, raising serious questions about the effectiveness of anti-beggary laws.
Other Forms of Exploitation and Regional Hotspots
Other categories of child exploitation showed similarly concerning patterns. Child trafficking registered 332 cases with only 4 convictions, while child labor cases saw 182 registrations and 8 convictions - the highest among categories but still alarmingly low relative to the scale of offences.
Physical abuse cases numbered 87 with no convictions, while 27 kidnapping cases also resulted in zero convictions. Child marriage continues to be severely underreported, with only 12 cases registered in the first six months of 2025 and no convictions or acquittals, indicating deep-rooted cultural and procedural barriers.
The district-level analysis identified Lahore, Gujranwala, Faisalabad, Rawalpindi and Sialkot as major hotspots for child abuse, exploitation and trafficking. Lahore recorded the highest numbers of sexual abuse, child beggary and trafficking cases, while Nankana Sahib, Gujrat and Mandi Bahauddin also showed elevated trafficking trends.
SSDO emphasized that while improved reporting mechanisms have led to increased case registration over the past year, the near-absence of convictions requires immediate attention from both law enforcement and judicial authorities to ensure children receive adequate protection under the law.
