Along with human rights organizations, they’re demanding a thorough examination into the allegations and a clear condemnation from the state. If the investigation confirms the abuse, it could impact the Punjabi provincial government, headed by the brother of Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.
Shakila Bibi says the authorities refused to take her complaints seriously, and rather than protecting her 15-year-old son, they imprisoned him.
“I went to the police station to file a complaint,” she told Reuters, “but instead of registering a (report), they took my son into custody.”
Another mother, Rubina Bibi, said she was thrown out of the police station when she tried to file a report.
“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.”
Tapes of the child abuse victims were being sold in Kasur for Rs 50 — clearly there is a market for paedophilia in Pakistan as well
— omar r quraishi (@omar_quraishi) August 8, 2015
“I have personally met hundreds of parents who have not yet come forward to file official complaints, either out of fear or shame,” Latif Sra, an attorney representing some of the victims, told Reuters.
Local police Officer Rai Babar assured Reuters they were taking the accusations seriously.
“It’s a very murky situation,” Babar said. “I assure you … there will be a fair and very transparent investigation,” he added.
Ghulam Abbas, the head of the police investigation unit in Kasur, said some of the videos obtained by law enforcement show several children consenting to sex with the suspects.
“We have recovered video clips from mobile phones confiscated from the accused, and have also confiscated memory cards and computers from the house allegedly used by the rapists,” Abbas said, according to Newsweek Pakistan.
