Sahil Report Records 1,914 Child Abuse Cases Across Pakistan in First Half of 2026
ISLAMABAD: A total of 1,914 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan during the first six months of 2026, according to Sahil’s “Six Months Cruel Numbers Report (January–June 2026)” released on Thursday.
Sahil, a child protection organization working since 1996 with a special focus on child sexual abuse, said it is committed to creating a protective environment for children free from all forms of violence, particularly child sexual abuse. The organization also provides legal support to victims.
The six-month report is based on data collected from national and regional newspapers across all four provinces, Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit-Baltistan (GB). The report covers cases of child sexual abuse, abduction, missing children, and child marriages.
According to the report, the 1,914 reported cases included 1,015 cases of child sexual abuse, 558 cases of abduction, 101 cases of missing children, and 35 cases of child marriages during January to June 2026. In addition, 98 cases of pornography following sexual abuse were recorded. The report also documented 49 cases involving infant children who were found abandoned by the roadside.
The data shows that 58% of the victims were girls, while 42% were boys. Children aged 11 to 15 years were identified as the most vulnerable group, with 598 reported victims. This was followed by 356 children aged 16 to 18 years, 329 children aged 6 to 10 years, and 95 children aged 0 to 5 years. In 487 cases, the age of the victim was not mentioned.
According to the report, 43% of the perpetrators were acquaintances of the victims, while 34% were strangers. In 13% of the cases, the status of the abuser was not mentioned.
The report further revealed that 45% of the incidents occurred at the victim’s residence, while 18% took place at the abuser’s home. Another 3% occurred in open fields, whereas the location of abuse was not specified in 21% of the reported cases.
Sahil’s data also showed that 57% of the reported cases originated from urban areas, while 43% were reported from rural areas.
Province-wise, Punjab accounted for 80% of the reported cases, followed by Sindh with 15%, while the remaining 5% of cases were reported from Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Regarding legal action, the report stated that 89% of the cases were registered with the police. In 11% of the cases, the registration status was not mentioned. The report further noted that seven cases were not registered with the police, while in one case the police refused to register a complaint.
