Pakistani officials have initiated an investigation into allegations that a gang of men sexually abused more than 200 children and sold videos of the abuse.
The accusations have rocked the country , drawing the attention and condemnation of human rights activists and politicians in a case that involved a subject long considered taboo in Pakistan. At least 280 children under the age of 14 from three villages in eastern Punjab province were said to have been subjected to sexual abuse by a gang of 15 men, who made videos to extort money from the children and their parents. Eleven of the accused were arrested, police officials said on Monday .Kasur police chief Rai Babar told reporters that the prime accused, Hasib Aamir, was arrested on Sunday and he had confessed to his crime.
Villagers said that a promi nent family there has for years forced children to perform sex acts on video. The footage was sold or used to blackmail their impoverished families. Rubi na Bibi says her 13-year-old son was a victim, but when she tried to file a report at the Ganda Singh Wala police station a month and a half ago, “the police station clerk told me to get lost and I was thrown out“.``My son ... is in the videos, he is a victim,“ she said. “Our children were forced into this.They were humiliated. But the police are treating them like criminals.“ Another mother, Shakila Bibi, added: “I went to the police station to file a complaint, but instead of registering a (report), they took my son into custody .“ Her 15-yearold son is still in jail, she said.
If an inquiry found inadequate police work or complicity, the scandal could engulf the provincial government, headed by the PM's brother. District police officer Rai Babar said the force would act decisively .“I assure you that we are taking this very seriously and there will be a fair and very transparent investigation“, he said.
The accusations of abuse started trickling out last month as victims began to report it to the police, and last Tuesday , hundreds of residents staged a protest, accusing the police and local politicians of protecting the gang members and ignoring the accusations. Some of the protesters clashed with the police, and dozens of people were injured, including several police officers. On Saturday , details of the abuse were carried by The Nation, a Lahore-based English daily , which reported that the gang members had drugged and intoxicated thei victims, some as young as 6 and had recorded hundreds o videos. Some of the children stole jewellry and money from their parents to pay the men t stop them from making th videos public, according to th reports. The newspaper sai many of the videos were sol to buyers and pornographi websites overseas.
The coverage prompted an outpouring of outrage on so cial media, especially on Twit ter. Pedophilia remains a ta boo subject in Pakistan society . Human rights activ ists say that child abuse i rampant in the country an that homeless children, a many as 1.5 million accordin to some estimates, are particu larly vulnerable.
