Who will protect our children?
Even by Pakistans highly desensitised standards, the recent case of underage sexual abuse takes the sorry tale of sordid events to a new low. The impact may not be profound  even though it ought to be  when you hear or read about such incidents. However, the existence of a sickening video makes it hard to ignore. It seemed that Aziz-ur-Rehman  note the lack of the Mufti pre-fix  was not averse to preying on young seminary students; believing that they could be assaulted and blackmailed at will. Naturally, his title should be removed while the investigation is ongoing and should only be reinstated in the event of non-conviction. Though, there appears slim chance of acquittal given the mounting evidence against him. Time will tell. Of course, we have been here before. With Rimsha, Zainab, Farishta and so many others that you end up losing count. There is always a lot of noise but very little action. Time and time again, we find ourselves roused by the most recent reports of child sexual abuse as we subconsciously prepare for the next one. The answer may not be as straight forward as we would wish but it remains less convoluted than many think. Consider. The approach must be three pronged. Firstly, we must come out of denial and acknowledge the problem before rising up against it. Unfortunately, many Pakistanis have their heads firmly in the sand when it comes to instances of molestation in these seminaries. While some segments of society vociferously oppose such crimes  others, especially those from the religious and political spheres, remain conspicuous by their absence. You would like the same ghairat brigade that marches against all kind of self-defined obscenities to take a hard stance here, as well. But, if wishes were horses, beggars would ride. The bottom line is that collective denunciation and disassociation of those who commit such crimes is imperative. We must use existing law enforcement mechanisms to create some breathing space for long-term strategic change. This will involve a zero-tolerance approach for anything less than effective policing, strong prosecution, speedy conviction and proportional sentencing  Secondly, from a tactical perspective, we must use existing law enforcement mechanisms to create some breathing space for long-term strategic change. This will involve a zero-tolerance approach for anything less than effective policing, strong prosecution, speedy conviction and proportional sentencing. Only when an example is made of child abusers will the message be loudly sent to the perpetrators. Though, the justice systems current scorecard doesnt augur well for future efficacy. Thus, there is even more reason to work harder  and even smarter  on the tactical response to crimes against the child. Thirdly, we must adopt a strategic standpoint and this means revisiting underlying societal values. Unquestionably, this is a tall order given that there already exists no consensus on prevailing value systems. The good thing is that positive moral values yield a knock-on effect down the line and lead to galvanised ethics. As already mentioned in some of my previous articles, values are the rules by which individuals and societies make a clear decision about right and wrong and good and bad. These are well-established arrangements of principles that guide individual choices and communal paths. Morals are verdicts that society passes in order to gauge whether an act is good or bad based on aforementioned personal or collective values. Although ethics are comparable to morals  they vary in one important aspect. While morals showcase the feeling of good or bad, ethics clearly control which deeds are right or wrong. Therefore, ethics represent the codification of morals into a specific judicial system and accepted by the general majority. Most of my generation are probably a lost cause when it comes to symbolising respectable values and consequently making use of good moral judgement and upright ethics. However, we better not make the same mistake with the generations that come after us. For us, the tactical perspective is critical. For them, the strategic standpoint is crucial. That is the reason that the last two prongs of this approach need to work hand in hand and in-sync. In the annals of psychology, it is said that fear is a good motivator to temporarily stop bad behaviour but it may not be useful to encourage good behaviour. Thus, fear of prosecution and being a social outcast  the tactical lynchpin  can help temporarily suspend such degenerate behaviour. Yet only a change of values  the strategic cornerstone  can ensure the fundamental uplifting of social behaviour. Of course, none of this will be a walk in the park. As governments, families and clans, we need to get our collective act together or else resign ourselves to rotting way in the despair of indifference. The writer is Director Programmes for an international ICT organization based in the UK and writes on corporate strategy, socio-economic and geopolitical issues