PAKISTAN: KP CABINET OKAYS DEATH PENALTY FOR CHILD ABUSERS

December 1, 2021:

The Khyber Pakhtunkhwa cabinet on 30 November 2021 approved the capital punishment for child abusers, which would be implemented after approval by the Khyber Pakhtunkhwa Assembly.
Chaired by Chief Minister Mahmood Khan, the cabinet also approved 14 years sentence and Rs5 million fine for the accused involved in child pornography and 10 years sentence for those involved in harassment and blackmailing through videos and filming.
After the approval of the act, the criminals involved in child trafficking would be sentenced to up to 25 years in jail, besides a fine of Rs5 million.
Briefing the media persons about the decisions of the cabinet, provincial Minister for Higher Education Kamran Bangash and newly-appointed Special Assistant to Chief Minister on Information and Public Relations Barrister Muhammad Ali Saif said that the act was approved following recommendations by a special committee for Child Protection, which recommended amendments in the Child Protection 2010.
The amended act has suggestion for exemplary punishment for the child abusers, which include death penalty, life-term imprisonment and huge penalty and there would be no concession in the punishment granted under the act.
The police would be authorised to produce audio and video evidence and DNA tests during the investigation and presentation in the court of law as evidence. The convict’s names would be displayed on the Child Protection Commission website and entered in the special register, there would be a complete ban on providing employment in public - private sectors on these convicts while they would also be not allowed to use public transport.
The owner or head of any organisation providing jobs to the child abusers would be imprisoned for 5 years in addition to a fine of Rs10 million or both.