1.5 million Pakistani children faced online sexual abuse in a year, study finds

About 1.5 million internet-using children in Pakistan experienced sexual exploitation or abuse through digital technology in a single year, according to new research, as a senior UN official warned that artificial intelligence and overlapping crises are creating new dangers for children.

Nearly one in 16 internet-using children aged 12 to 17 in Pakistan experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse in a year, according to Disrupting Harm in Pakistan, a study published by Unicef, ECPAT International and INTERPOL in September 2026, Dawn reported.

Abusers are often known to the child

The study challenges the idea that online abuse is mainly carried out by strangers:

• Known abusers: in 85 percent of the incidents children described, the perpetrator was someone they already knew
• Social media: accounted for 44 percent of reported cases, the most common digital setting
• Silence: more than half of the children who were abused did not tell anyone, Unicef says
• No formal reports: none of the children surveyed reported their experience through helplines, social workers or the police

The abuse includes unwanted sexual images or conversations, demands for intimate photographs, the sharing of children’s images without consent, and sexual threats or blackmail.

Why children stay silent

Fear, stigma and possible consequences at home often stop children from seeking help. Victims may fear being blamed, humiliated or restricted by their families. Boys can also be overlooked because of social expectations about masculinity and a reluctance to talk about sexual abuse, Dawn reported.

Gaps in the system

The study found weaknesses in the systems meant to prevent online abuse, investigate cases and support victims. It identified gaps in Pakistan’s legal framework: legislation does not require child forensic interviews to be carried out by specially trained professionals, which raises the risk of children being harmed again during investigations.

“Huge avenues” for exploitation

Presenting her final report to the UN General Assembly on Monday, Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN Secretary General’s Special Representative on Violence Against Children, urged governments to protect children facing multiple, overlapping crises.

“Almost 45 million children are displaced because of conflict, but also because of natural disasters, because of the climate crisis,” she told journalists in New York. She said artificial intelligence had opened “huge avenues for child sexual exploitation”, as well as “cyberbullying, deepfakes and the recruitment of children into criminal activities”. The General Assembly identified AI-generated sexual material as an emerging risk.

Her report marked 20 years since the first UN global study on violence against children. She warned that poverty, food insecurity and rising prices were making children more vulnerable worldwide.

Unicef estimates that weather-related disasters displaced 15.6 million children in South Asia between 2016 and 2022.

What needs to change

The findings point to the need for safe, confidential and easy-to-use ways for children to report abuse, investigations by properly trained staff, and support for victims that does not expose them to more humiliation or trauma.

Why it matters

Behind the number are 1.5 million children, most of whom never told anyone. Parents, schools and the authorities all have a part to play in making sure children can speak up without fear of blame. Read our report on polio vaccination reaching 28 million children.

This article draws on reporting by Dawn, Unicef, ECPAT International and INTERPOL.