A UNICEF report says about 1.5 million children in Pakistan are sexually exploited online. It also finds that many victims do not disclose abuse: 71% of victims do not tell anyone, citing stigma, shame and fear.
The outlets describe how online exploitation often happens through everyday social platforms. NDTV reports that roughly 44% of reported abuse occurs entirely online, with Snapchat and WhatsApp among the most common settings, quoting Mehek Naeem of children’s rights group PAHCHAAN in Lahore. Japan Times highlights the personal impact and barriers to reporting, emphasizing fear and reluctance to seek help.
While the coverage focuses on different aspects—one on the scale of hidden victimization and the other on the platforms and share of fully online abuse—both accounts draw on the same UNICEF findings and portray a pattern of widespread online sexual exploitation of children in Pakistan.
