Seven-year jail, Rs0.7m fine for child abuse

ISLAMABAD: The Senate on Friday passed a bill which for the first time makes sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking a punishable act.

The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2015 that will go into force after being ratified by President Mamnoon Hussain raises the age of criminal responsibility from seven to 10 years of age.

Under the revised legislation, sexual assaults will now be punishable with up to seven years in prison. Previously, only rape was criminalised. Likewise, child pornography, which was previously not mentioned in the law, will be punishable with seven years in prison and a fine of Rs700,000.

The country was rocked by a major pedophilia scandal last August when it was revealed that hundreds of pornographic videos of children from Hussain Khanwala village in the Punjab province had been made and were being circulated.

About 20 arrests were made, but only the acts of rape and sodomy were punishable by law. The new amendment also criminalises child trafficking within Pakistan. Previously, traffickers were only liable for punishment if they removed children from the country.

Minister for Human Rights Zahid Hamid moved the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2015 along with another bill seeking further an amendment to the National University of Sciences and Technology Act 1997 in the house.

The chair referred the bills to the standing committee concerned for deliberation. The statement and objects of the Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2015 says Pakistan had ratified the United Nations Convention on the Rights of the Child (UNCRC) in 1990 and is under obligation to implement its provision by harmonizing national policies, legislations, programmes and plans of action with it and report progress to the UN Committee on the Rights of the Child Geneva every year.