A recent bill introduced by provincial Law Minister Fazle Shakoor about child abuse, sexual exploitation, and pornography has been passed in the Provincial Assembly of Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The Bill passed under Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Child Protection and Welfare (Amendment) Act, 2022. Serious punishments and fines proposed with the help of the new Law. These include serious punishments such as life imprisonment or even death sentences for the alleged child abusers.
According to the new law, whoever commits, consumes, or shares child pornography shall face 14 years of imprisonment. Which may extend to 20 years of Jail, and also fined 2 to 5 million Rupees in fine. Moreover, those who share rape videos also get punishment with 10 years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 2 million.
The assembly passed the amendment to Section 48 of the Pakistani Law. The bill further states that the cases of child abuse or any relevant cases including child sexual exploitation will be hear under child protection courts. And the cases must complete within 30 days to ensure proper justice.
The DNA report and video of the incident will accepted as evidence in court. The person who commits a crime regarding child abuse will get register as a sex offender, with a ban on using any public transport, visiting any public place, or even getting hire by any organization.
Sex offender will also be punishable
The head of an organization that offers job allocation to any sex offender will also be punishable by law.
Such cases against any head of organization whether government or private will dealt with by punishing. The accused head with five years of imprisonment and a fine of up to 10 million.
The Bill was previously present in the house in March. It faced a little backslash at the time when the Nation Commission on the Rights of Child (NCRC). In a letter to the chief minister stated the draft law was “unconstitutional”.
The bill was urge to be reconsider before the approval. The NCRC stated that the draft contradicts Articles 141 and 142 of the Constitution of Pakistan. However, the bill has been redraft and presented again. The Bill passed after the opposition members staged a walkout from the proceeding which resulted in the dropping of their amendments to the bill. The session adjourned till Friday (June 03).