UN study exposes Pakistan's child abuse crisis; 1.5 million children experienced online sexual abuse in a year

Around 1.5 million internet-using children in Pakistan experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse in a single year, according to a study by Unicef, ECPAT International and INTERPOL. The findings come as a senior United Nations official warns that artificial intelligence, conflict and climate-related emergencies are exposing children to new and overlapping risks.

Najat Maalla M’jid, the UN Secretary-General’s Special Representative on Violence Against Children, presented her final report to the UN General Assembly on Monday (Oct 12), urging governments to strengthen protections for children facing multiple crises. “Almost 45 million children are displaced because of conflict, but also because of natural disasters, because of the climate crisis,” she told journalists at UN Headquarters in New York.

M’jid also warned that rapid advances in technology, while creating opportunities for learning and communication, were opening new avenues for abuse. She pointed to AI-enabled sexual exploitation, cyberbullying, deepfakes and the recruitment of children into criminal activities.

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Most children knew their alleged abusers

The study, Disrupting Harm in Pakistan, published in September 2026, found that nearly one in 16 internet-using children aged 12 to 17 had experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse over 12 months.

The reported abuse included unwanted sexual images or conversations, demands for intimate photographs, the non-consensual sharing of children's images, and sexual threats or blackmail.

The findings also challenge the assumption that strangers primarily committed online abuse. Shockingly, in 85 per cent of the incidents reported by children, the perpetrator was someone they already knew. Social media was the most commonly reported digital setting, accounting for 44 per cent of cases.

Fear and stigma can make it difficult for children to seek help, it noted. Some worry that their families will blame them, humiliate them or impose restrictions on their internet access. Boys may face additional barriers because of social expectations around masculinity and reluctance to discuss sexual abuse.

According to UNICEF, more than half of the children who experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation or abuse did not tell anyone. None of the children surveyed reported their experiences through formal channels such as helplines, social workers or the police.

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Poverty and displacement deepen risks

Online abuse is part of a broader child-protection crisis shaped by poverty, displacement and interruptions to essential services, M’jid warned. Food insecurity and rising prices can leave families struggling to protect children, while conflict and natural disasters can disrupt schooling and weaken support networks.

Climate-related emergencies have also caused widespread disruption across South Asia. Unicef estimates that weather-related disasters displaced 15.6 million children in the region between 2016 and 2022. In Bangladesh, climate-related events disrupted schooling for 35 million children in 2024.