by Omer Farooq Khan in The Times of India, Nov 20, 2023 at 07:53hrs
ISLAMABAD: Two clerics have been arrested in Pakistan’s Punjab province over the alleged sexual abuse and torture of students at Jamia Al-Mustafa, an unregistered madrasa in Chakwal. The arrest followed a victim’s disclosure to his father about the mistreatment, prompting other students to come forward. Local police were subsequently involved, and a preliminary investigation revealed instances of sexual assault and torture.
Fifteen students, claiming to be victims, underwent medical examinations at a Chakwal hospital.
Doctors found assault marks on their bodies, including teeth marks and an English alphabet “Z” inscribed on several children’s backs with a sharp object, likely a knife.
The madrasa’s spokesman Masood Ahmad Shakar reported to police that the seminary’s administration received complaints against the teachers, and surveillance footage confirmed their misconduct. The accused teachers were dismissed from their positions. Police secured a four-day physical remand for the alleged perpetrators after presenting them in a local court.
With more than 2.2 million children studying in over 36,000 registered and unregistered madrasas in Pakistan, the majority hail from impoverished regions in the country’s northwestern, western, and eastern provinces.
https://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/pakistan/clerics-held-for-sexual-abuse-in-pakistans-madrasa/articleshowprint/105337571.cms
