Every time we open social media, we're met with another heartbreaking case. Another child murdered. Another headline. Another tragedy. Another innocent life lost. We see it. We feel anger, grief, and heartbreak. We demand justice. Then we scroll. The next day, we open social media again, and there's another case. The cycle repeats.

This time, it was Nazia, a six year old girl from the Shadani Puri area of Rahim Yar Khan, who went to a field and failed to return. She disappeared on Thursday evening, June 25, from the field where she and her mother worked. Her family searched for her all night. The following morning, her body was discovered in a sugarcane crop with visible signs of violence.

An FIR was registered immediately at the local police station. The Punjab Forensic Science Agency (PFSA) collected evidence from the crime scene. Her body was sent to the hospital for a post mortem examination, which confirmed that the little girl was sexually assaulted before she was killed. The district police have arrested the prime suspect in the crime, who is now in police custody.

Every time a new case comes to light, we react as though it's the first. But is it?

 According to reports by Sahil:

·       2018: 3,832 child abuse cases were documented, including 537 rape cases, 156 gang rapes, and 589 sodomy cases, meaning more than 10 children were abused every day.

·       2019: 2,846 cases were reported, including 279 rape cases, 115 gang rapes, and 348 sodomy cases.

·       2020: 2,960 major child sexual abuse cases were documented, a 4% increase from 2019. The victims included 1,510 girls and 1,450 boys.

·       2021: 3,852 child sexual abuse cases were recorded, averaging 10 cases every day. Among the victims were 2,068 girls and 1,784 boys, with 1,060 abduction cases also reported.

·       2022: 4,253 child abuse cases were documented, a 33% increase from 2021, averaging more than 12 cases daily. Girls made up 55% of the victims and boys 45%.

·       2023: 4,213 child abuse cases were documented, averaging 11 children abused every day. These included child sexual abuse, abductions, and child marriages. Girls accounted for 53% of the victims and boys 47%.

·       2024: According to Sahil and SSDO, more than 3,350 child abuse cases were documented nationwide, averaging nine cases every day, including thousands of cases of child sexual abuse.

·       2025: Sahil documented 3,630 child abuse cases, an 8% increase from 2024. The reported incidents included 522 rape cases and 596 sodomy cases

And it's 2026. Half the year has already passed, yet we continue to see new cases almost every day. Are these numbers telling us something? Can you see the pattern?

People keep saying, "Girls are not safe." But the truth is, boys aren't safe either. No child is truly safe. Whether it is a girl or a boy, every child deserves to grow up without fear.

Why is no child safe in this country? We have laws. We have organizations. So why is there still such weak implementation? Instead of decreasing, these cases continue to rise year after year.

How long will we continue witnessing these horrifying cases? How many more mothers who gave birth to their children, raised them with love, and dreamed of a beautiful future for them, will be forced to grieve instead?

How many more children like Zainab, Muntaha, Mohammad Danish, and Nazia have to suffer before real action is taken?

Children don't need our sympathy after they become headlines. They need our protection before they become one.