Pakistan, May 7 -- There is no gentle way to say this: Pakistan is failing its children. According to Sahil's Cruel Numbers 2024 report, at least 3,364 cases of child abuse were reported last year alone. That's nine children abused every single day: in homes, schools, mosques, and on the internet. Children-some as young as five months-are being robbed of safety, dignity, and in too many cases, life itself. The response? Muted at best. Indifferent at worst. Let's call this what it is: a national emergency buried under a national silence.

The latest figures show Punjab accounting for 78% of reported cases. But make no mistake. This is a nationwide rot. A child's vulnerability knows no province. In 53% of cases, the victims were girls; in 4...