The discovery of a seven year old boy's body in Faisalabad has once again raised serious concerns about the safety of children in Pakistan.

On Tuesday, June 24, in the Sarli area of Faisalabad, a 7 year old boy named Shakeel, son of Saleem and a grade 2 student, left his home to buy a bottle from a nearby shop. However, he did not return home. Around 12:00 to 1:00 p.m., he went missing. His family started searching for him and reported his disappearance to the police around 8:00 to 8:30 p.m. They continued searching throughout the night, and a case was registered at Thana Thekriwala.

On Wednesday morning, Shakeel's body was recovered from the washroom of a neighbour's vacant house. Rope marks were found on his neck. The suspect, Ali Raza, a 16 year old relative of the victim, went missing along with his family. The victim's family alleged that the child had been sexually assaulted before the murder. However, authorities said the exact cause of death would be confirmed after the post-mortem.

Six hours after the body was recovered, it was still outside the Rural Health Centre Chak 30 because no medical officer was on duty. This delay raised questions about the availability of medical staff in such emergency situations. The victim's family staged a protest by blocking the road, while police said the investigation was ongoing.

According to the initial post mortem report, no evidence of sexual assault was found.

During the investigation, police arrested the suspect, Ali Raza. According to police, the suspect confessed during questioning that Shakeel had used abusive language while playing in the street. Police alleged that the suspect took the child to the neighbour's vacant house, strangled him with a rope, hid the body in the washroom, and fled the scene.

Did this child deserve to lose his life over such a matter? How many more cases like this will we have to read before stronger steps are taken? Every child's life matters, and incidents like this continue to raise concerns about child safety in Pakistan.

According to Sahil's Cruel Numbers 2025 Report, Pakistan recorded 3,630 child abuse cases in 2025, an 8% increase compared to 2024. On average, more than nine children are abused every day across the country. Out of the reported cases, 53% of the victims were girls and 47% were boys. These figures show that child abuse remains a serious issue that cannot be ignored.

Pakistan has laws and systems to protect children, including Articles 11 and 25A of the Constitution of Pakistan and the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act (ZARRA). If these laws and systems already exist, why do such incidents continue to happen? Are they being implemented effectively, or is there still a gap between the law and its enforcement?

Child protection is a shared responsibility, not only a parent's responsibility. Parents, schools, communities, law enforcement agencies, and the government all have an important role to play. If we already have laws and systems to protect children, then why are such incidents still happening? It is time to make sure these laws are not only made but also properly implemented so that no family has to go through such a tragedy again.