Child Rape In Pakistan: Examining Judicial, Investigative And Child-Protection Responses Through A Multi-Provincial Case Study

Abstract

Child rape constitutes a serious violation of children's dignity, bodily integrity, security, and fundamental rights. Although Pakistan has substantially strengthened its legal and institutional framework through the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act 2020 and the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021, significant barriers continue to affect children's access to justice. This study examines judicial, investigative, forensic, and child-protection responses to child rape through a qualitative, doctrinal, and multi-provincial case-study approach covering Punjab, Sindh, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, Balochistan, and Islamabad Capital Territory. It analyses judicial decisions, legislation, institutional practices, and recorded 2025 data to identify systemic and provincial differences in the criminal justice response. The findings demonstrate that courts increasingly recognise children's vulnerability, delayed reporting, and the contextual significance of medical and forensic evidence. Nevertheless, persistent weaknesses remain in FIR registration, police investigation, medico-legal examination, forensic capacity, prosecution, inter-agency coordination, victim protection, and psychosocial support. The 2025 data recorded 17,348 children involved in relevant sexual offences, with Punjab accounting for the largest recorded share. These figures should not be treated as prevalence estimates because reporting and institutional capacity vary across jurisdictions. The study concludes that Pakistan's principal child-rape justice deficit is an implementation deficit requiring an integrated, child-sensitive, and accountable response.