Child protection.

Byline: Samia Altaf

ONCE the news of the rape and murder of four boys in Chunian, Kasur, was aired earlier this month, outraged folks recommended that exemplary punishment be meted out to the perpetrator swiftly - and preferably brutally and publicly. That, they thought, should deter others for all times to come.

Would it? Was this not done, just a year ago in little Zainab's - also from Kasur - rape and murder case? After the perpetrator was hanged, the 'matter faded away' - until now, when the crime has been repeated fourfold with all its terrible but familiar contours. What makes us think that this time around it will be different? It seems that killing the rapist-murderer of one child was followed by the rape and murder of four more. In my view, this action of speedy trial and exemplary punishment is a red herring.

According to a report by Sahel, an NGO working for children's rights, cases of child abuse went up by 11 per cent during 2018 compared to 2017. There is a recent report of another boy in Pattoki, Kasur, who has been repeatedly assaulted - and it must be asked, on which of the three Kasur child protection bureaus' watch?

As medical director of Washington, D.C.'s Medicaid, the government's health services delivery programme for poor citizens, I was part of the state-level Child Protection Agency, and learnt from forensic experts that such incidents of child abuse are rarely a simple matter of one bad guy doing a bad thing. The perpetrator's perversity, real enough as it is, is just the tip of the iceberg. These are complex crimes involving more than one entity and require thoughtful analysis, and detailed, layered solutions. The solutions require an interlinked system of child protection that has a staff with a wide range of skills that go beyond those of policemen.

Punishing the perpetrator is not enough.

Though it was a tragic case unfortunately for those four boys, kudos to the Punjab government for apprehending the perpetrator. It would be a pity though if we assume that simply punishing the perpetrator will deter others. With recent history as its guide, the government should do more, even given its poor resources.

So, what more can that be?

For one, do not let this opportunity go to waste. On the one hand, the chief minister's office needs to keep up the momentum and follow up on the possibility, unearthed last year after Zainab's case, of an organised operation of child pornography in Kasur, maybe with links beyond. On...