Another case of suspected rape, murder of minor emerges in Faisalabad

FAISALABAD: Police say the body of a teenaged boy allegedly abused before being killed has been found in Faisalabad, as countrywide public outrage over a similar case in another Punjab district.

15-year-old Faizan Bashir, who was a student of 9th class, was missing since Tuesday night.

According to police, his body was found from open fields outside a village, Chak-243RB, in Dijkot area of Faisalabad district.

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Following postmortem, police handed over the body to the family members, while a case has also been lodged.

Police said they had yet to ascertain the cause of death. But the doctor who carried out the postmortem examination suspected that the minor boy was sexually abused before being strangled.

"It is my opinion that the victim was first subjected to sodomy and then strangled to death. Marks on the hands and feet of the victim appear to show signs of resistance," said Dr Khalid Iqbal, in-charge of Rural Health Centre Dijkot.

The case follows violent protests and nationwide outpouring of grief and sorrow after the reported rape and murder of seven-year-old Zainab in Kasur district.

At least two people were killed and one injured when police opened fire on protesters in Kasur who had broken into the DC Office.

11 cases of child sex abuse reported in Pakistan every day: report

The brutal rape and subsequent murder of seven-year-old Zainab is not a one-off incident

As many as 11 cases of child sexual abuse are reported from across Pakistan every day, according to data compiled by a non-governmental organization, Sahil, which works on child protection.

In the first six months of 2017 alone, 1,764 cases of child sexual abuse were reported from across the country, according to Sahil. In 2016, the total number of reported child abuse cases stood at a staggering 4,139, bringing the total number of children being abused in Pakistan per day to 11.

The shocking numbers bring to attention the failure of law enforcement agencies in Pakistan, particularly Punjab province, in apprehending criminals and curbing the menace of child sexual abuse.