A total of 3,630 cases of child abuse were reported across Pakistan in 2025, according to new figures released by Sahil, which monitors violence against children and women.
In a statement issued on Monday, the organization said the cases had been reported in 81 different newspapers from the four provinces, as well as the Islamabad Capital Territory, Azad Jammu and Kashmir and Gilgit-Baltistan.
Sahil said the total represents an increase of 8%, or 266 more cases, compared to 2024.
Their data showed that girls accounted for 1,924 cases, or 53% of victims, while boys accounted for 1,625 cases, or 47%. Another 116 cases involved newborn babies.
The organization said the figures meant that, on average, more than nine children were abused each day during 2025.
Kidnapping was the most commonly reported category, with 1,107 cases, followed by sodomy with 596 cases and rape with 522. Other reported categories included 365 cases of missing children, 195 cases of attempted rape, 141 cases of attempted sodomy, 130 cases of gang sodomy, 108 cases of gang rape, 58 cases of murder following sexual abuse, and 53 cases of child marriage.
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According to the report, children between the ages of 11 and 15 were the most vulnerable to abuse, and more boys than girls were affected in that age group.
Sahil said acquaintances remain the category most commonly involved in child sexual abuse cases.
Punjab accounted for 73% of the total reported child abuse cases, followed by Sindh with 21%, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 4% and Balochistan, federal areas, AJK and GB combined with 2%.
The organization also said that 82% of reported child abuse cases were registered with the police, which it called a positive sign of active policing.
Sahil also released figures on violence against women and said he had monitored such cases for the past two years.
It said that in 2025, 7,071 cases of gender-based violence (GBV) were reported across the country, covering categories including murder, suicide, kidnapping, rape, honor killing and torture. The total also included a small number of cases involving transgender people.
According to Sahil, figures for 2025 showed a 34% increase in cases of gender-based violence.
The largest category was murder, with 1,546 cases, followed by 1,345 kidnappings and 1,169 cases of torture. 877 cases of rape, 680 suicides, 449 cases of injuries, 316 cases of harassment, 284 honor killings and 41 acid attacks were also reported.
The data showed that 32% of the abusers in cases of gender violence were acquaintances, 18% were strangers and 12% were husbands, while in 20% of the cases the abuser was not mentioned.
Punjab accounted for 78% of the total GBV cases reported in 2025, followed by Sindh with 14%, Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa with 6% and 2% from Balochistan, ICT, AJK and GB combined.
