UNICEF reports that about 1.5 million Pakistani children experienced sexual abuse online in one year, with roughly 85% of perpetrators known to victims aged 12–17. Many children stay silent — 71% told no one and none reported incidents to formal channels — driven by stigma and fear. Around 44% of cases occurred entirely online, often via Snapchat and WhatsApp, while experts warn weak enforcement and legal gaps have allowed a commercialised ecosystem of grooming, blackmail and exploitation to grow.
“I Live in Fear”: UNICEF Says 1.5 Million Pakistani Children Sexually Exploited Online
Around 44 percent of reported abuse in Pakistan was entirely online, with Snapchat and WhatsApp among the most common settings (Manan VATSYAYANA)
A Pakistani teenager identified in reporting as Zara says a stranger she met while playing an online game drew her into a conversation that became sexual exploitation. Zara, 17, whose name has been changed for her protection, is one of an estimated 1.5 million children in Pakistan who experienced sexual abuse online over the course of a year, according to a UNICEF report released this month.
"We started chatting while playing an online game, and he began acting like a friend. Later, he wanted to meet and, after, started asking me for nudes," Zara said. When she refused, the man threatened to search for her family online and tell them they had been communicating.
How Abuse Often Begins
UNICEF's analysis found that about 85% of perpetrators were known to the victims, who were aged between 12 and 17. "The abuse may start with a friendly conversation, a gaming interaction, or a promise of gifts, money or romance," said Daniel Kardefelt, the lead author of the global UNICEF report. Perpetrators may spend months building trust using personal details gathered from social media.
Silence, Stigma and Platforms
In Pakistan — a Muslim-majority country — the report found that 71% of victimised children did not tell anyone, and none of those surveyed reported the incidents to formal channels such as police, helplines or social workers. Silence was driven largely by stigma, shame and fear of how families or communities might react.
"I could have been stopped from going to school or leaving the house altogether," Zara said. "Staying quiet felt like the better option than speaking up. But anxiety kills me every day."
Around 44% of reported abuse occurred entirely online, with Snapchat and WhatsApp among the most commonly cited platforms, according to Mehek Naeem, director of PAHCHAAN, a children's rights organisation in Lahore. Girls in conservative communities face particular risks of sexual extortion that can lead to restrictions on movement or withdrawal from education.
Policy Responses and Gaps
With UNICEF estimating that about 74% of Pakistani children aged 12–17 use the internet, authorities have debated measures to protect minors online. The Punjab provincial government recently passed a resolution proposing to bar children under 16 from using social media, a move that has provoked opposition from digital-rights advocates who say bans are hard to implement and risk infringing on freedom of expression.
Although Pakistan has laws aimed at tackling technology-facilitated offences against children, experts and activists say enforcement is weak and legal loopholes persist. Human rights lawyer Salman Afridi warned that economic vulnerability is being weaponised: some victims have been paid as little as 10,000 PKR (~$36) to produce sexual material.
"What we are seeing is the use of technology to facilitate an entire chain of grooming, inducement, coercion, blackmail, production, distribution and commercialisation," Afridi said. "There is a strong basis for describing this as a commercial ecosystem of exploitation."
For Zara and many others whose contact began with an online game, the fear remains. "I was, and am, scared," she said. "I live in fear."
Reporting credits: stm/je/lga/fox
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