A child sex abuse crisis

One would say that the grave situation in Balochistan, in which at least 42 people, including security and law-enforcement personnel, lost their lives this week, has a bearing on national security. It is a matter of national importance. One measure of its magnitude is that more than 50 terrorists were reported to have been killed in clearance operations. And the campaign is continuing.

When it comes to the murder of a little boy, the scene of action is very small. On the face of it, this murder, though its details are terrifying, is just one instance of a heinous crime. But look closely, against the perspective of repeated incidents of murders of little children after violent sexual abuse, and try to understand the nature of a society in which these atrocities are possible.

In fact, I was wondering if the breakdown of a society is not also a matter of national security. This observation may be seen as an exaggerated reflection of one's emotional anguish, but the circumstances in which the little boy was murdered surely call for national outrage and immediate attention from the rulers of this country.

Yes, I did see a report on a news channel showing a heartfelt response from Chief Minister Murad Ali Shah. He said he would personally monitor the case investigation. However, the story has not made a splash in the media. We do not know whether it was something the high officials would consider worthy of their attention when they, for good reason, have to attend to such crucial issues as Balochistan and Azad Kashmir.

This is, actually, the point I am trying to make. There are social issues that are not adequately highlighted. They are not fully explored by the media. Specific incidents are sometimes sensationalised, but there is hardly any expert analysis of the underlying motivations of the crime that is committed. There is little appreciation for the conditions in which millions and millions of our ordinary people struggle for survival.

At one level, I think, there is a severe problem of mental health. This is an issue for trained social scientists to study and recommend remedial measures, though the challenge of dealing with poverty that afflicts an unacceptable percentage of the population lies with our planners and decision-makers. A layperson is only baffled by the frequency with which horrific and depressing stories of deviant behaviour are reported from all corners of the country.

By way of an example, here are some bare facts about the death of Mohammad Wali, a boy who lived in Lea Market. He went missing on Monday afternoon. Late on Tuesday night, his tortured body was recovered in a gunny bag near his house. A 20-year-old neighbour was arrested by the police as the suspect.

A senior police official said that the suspect has confessed that he had taken the boy to the rooftop and had raped and then killed him. Late on Tuesday night, the suspect wrapped the body in a gunny bag and threw it from the third floor onto an empty plot.

The details, of course, varied and scenes changed as numerous incidents of this kind were reported in recent months. Rape victims have also been little girls and young women. This is a society in which children and women are not safe even in the vicinity of their homes. And perhaps this is not entirely a law-and-order problem. Our social values and psychological peculiarities may also be a factor in creating this environment.

Do we, then, have the necessary ingredients for some kind of social breakdown, akin to what is described as a nervous breakdown at a personal level? I know that this is just a theoretical guesswork. But we have ample evidence of the deprivations in our society from surveys on human development conducted by international agencies. Incidentally, there is one that was released this week and it alone could serve as my subject in a lean season.

I am referring to the Global Liveability Index 2026, compiled by The Economist Intelligence Unit (EIU). We are told that this index provides a globally recognised benchmark for urban liveability and resilience.

Karachi is included in this evaluation of living conditions in 173 cities worldwide. But where is it placed in the list of 173? Not surprisingly, it is fourth from the bottom, at number 170. The three other cities below Karachi are Dhaka, Tripoli and Damascus. It should be noted that Karachi has not experienced a civil war or any mass revolt. Yet, look at the company it keeps.

There is an extensive explanation of how the liveability of the listed cities was measured. The main indicators were stability, healthcare, culture and environment, education and infrastructure. That is how the top five positions were given to Copenhagen, Vienna, Melbourne, Sydney and Zurich.

It is possible to quarrel with the rank that is accorded to Karachi and the image that it projects of a country that has recently earned the glory of mediating between the US and Iran, a seemingly impossible assignment. But how do we contend, say, with the rise of terrorism in Balochistan and the rape and ghastly murder of a six-year-old boy in Karachi?

The writer is a senior journalist. He can be reached at: [email protected]

Disclaimer: The viewpoints expressed in this piece are the writer's own and don't necessarily reflect Geo.tv's editorial policy.

Originally published in The News