Today, i.e. on Friday, 11th March, the Pakistan Senate has passed a bill which provide for the provisions to criminalise the first time sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.
The present concerned Bill was introduced as an Amending Bill against the Penal Code of Pakistan, and as now it is being cleared from the Pakistani Senate, now the Bill would be brought into operation after being ratified by the president.
The Bill along with offences of sexual assault against minor, child pornography and trafficking, also raising the age of criminal responsibility from Seven to Ten years of age. Now, thus, the punishment for doing the act of sexual assaults will be of imprisonment up to Seven Years in the jail, earlier which only the offence of Rape was punishable in Pak.
Moreover, against the acts of the child pornography, there were no provisions in the previous legal system, in Pakistan, but now this act will be punishable with the imprisonment up to Seven years in the prison and also there may be fine up to 7,00,000 rupees.
It was in the wake of major paedophilia scandal which was occasioned in Pakistan last year, it was revealed that the hundreds of the pornographic videos of children from the village of Hussain Khanwala in Punjab province were created and also were distributed, now the present law is sought to be brought in force.
Also, in the connection of that major scandal, around Twenty people were arrested, however, there acts were only evaluated for rape and sodomy as there was no provision for other related crimes.
In connection with the acts of the Child trafficking, the present concerned Bill is making provision and sought to made it offence within Pakistan. Earlier there were only provisions against such traffickers that they were liable for punishment if they removed children from the country.
In the comments, the Sara Coleman- Chief of Child Protection at UNICEF told AFP that the obligation of Pakistan, which is provided under Convention on the Rights of the Child, is being released by it by this very important step.
Adv. Faim Khalilkhan Pathan