By Rabia Ali
Karachi: Karachi has become an increasingly dangerous place for young children as sexual predators are constantly on the prowl and the sodomy of an eight-year-old boy on Tuesday evening in the New Karachi Industrial Area is a stark reminder of this fact.
Eight-year-old A* left his house that fateful evening to buy some bread from a nearby restaurant. While he was on the way, the boy was abducted by the alleged rapist, a teenaged rag-picker named Mohib Ullah.
He was then stuffed into a sack and whisked away to an empty plot. After abusing him, Mohib Ullah allegedly tried to throw him into a canal. Luckily for the innocent victim, locals in the area noticed the commotion and some of them informed the police.
The police reached the spot and took the alleged assailant into custody.
The sodomy victim was taken to a local hospital for a medical examination. The results of the examination showed that the eight-year-old had indeed been sodomised.
While speaking to The News, the boy’s father, Saleem Ahmed, wept over his son’s condition. He said that not only is A traumatised, he is also suffering from a tremendous amount of pain. “My son is in such a terrible state that he cannot walk or even lie down to sleep.
He is terrified and dares not utter a word to anyone. We are all extremely tense and worried about him,” said the father. He added that although his son is being treated at the Abbasi Shaheed hospital, the boy’s condition remains serious.
“I fail to understand why the rag picker would assault my son as we are not even acquainted with him. We have heard of 2-3 different cases of children being sexually abused in the area, but the families withdrew their cases in exchange for monetary compensation,” said Ahmed.
Following the unfortunate incident, Ahmed filed FIR 30/2011, under section 377 for Unnatural Offenses with the New Karachi Industrial Area police station. ASI Abdul Aziz told The News that the suspect is in custody and investigations are under way.
Over 330 boys were sodomised in Sindh alone last year, according to a report by the Society for the Protection of the Rights of the Child. “Such crimes against children will continue until the Child Protection Bill is passed. Sparc is holding consultations with members of the Sindh Assembly and trying to have the bill tabled as soon as possible. However, it appears that the stakeholders are not concerned over child-related issues,” said Suhail Ahmed Abro, Sparc’s provincial manager.
Meanwhile, the father of the eight-year-old sodomy victim cried out for justice, urging the government to take notice of this incident.
“All we demand is justice and nothing else. We do not want any form of monetary compensation or financial aid. All the family asks is that the culprit be punished in the strictest possible manner. He should be shot dead so that no one can ever dare commit such a crime.”
Source: The News
Date:1/20/2011
