By Ghulam Amin Beg
A large public march in Hunza on August 27 demanded immediate action after police arrested four young men in connection with the alleged sexual abuse and wrongful confinement of a 14-year-old boy at a local hotel in Aliabad, Hunza.
Police registered FIR No. 39/2026 under Sections 377, 365, 342, and 34 of the Pakistan Penal Code. The suspects were arrested following reports that the boy had been held and sexually abused at a hotel identified as Rustam Palace in Aliabad.
The incident has sent shockwaves through the region, which has long been known for its peace and social cohesion.
Civil society groups, traders, lawyers, and transport unions adopted a 13-point resolution during a march from the Hunza Press Club to the Aliabad Police Station. The demands include the suspension of the Aliabad station house officer, permanent sealing of the hotel, mandatory verification and maintenance of guest records at all hotels, police registration of non-local workers, a crackdown on drug networks, closure of snooker clubs after 11 p.m., increased night patrols, expanded CCTV coverage, stricter checks at valley entry points, a speedy trial in a special court, and greater vigilance by parents and schools.
The resolution warned that failure to act could lead to wider protests across Gilgit-Baltistan.
A Hidden Crisis
The case has drawn attention to the longstanding underreporting of child abuse in the region.
According to child rights organisation Sahil, Pakistan recorded 3,630 cases of child abuse in 2025, an 8 percent increase from the previous year. In the first half of 2026, Sahil reported 1,914 cases nationally, including 1,015 cases of sexual abuse. Acquaintances accounted for 43 percent of perpetrators, while 45 percent of incidents occurred inside the child’s home.
Cases from Gilgit-Baltistan, Balochistan, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and the federal territories together accounted for only a small fraction of the total. Experts attribute this largely to massive underreporting rather than lower levels of abuse.
The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan reported that the Gilgit Child Protection Unit registered 33 cases in 2024, including the reported rape of a seven-year-old boy in Nomal. The commission noted inadequate staffing and resources and said underreporting was likely significant.
Language, Culture, and the Cycle of Abuse
Local terminology reflects the issue’s visibility in some communities. In Shina, the predominant language spoken in Gilgit and Diamer divisions, the term Baalo Khatar (BK), literally translated as “boy dagger,” is reportedly used to describe the sexual abuse of boys by men. Accounts from 2014 described the term as common slang among boys in Gilgit city and noted that boys aged 8 to 16 often felt unsafe in public areas. For decades, this has reportedly been a concern among parents.
In neighbouring areas of Diamer and Kohistan in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Pashto term bacha bazi is used in reference to practices involving adolescent boys and older men.
In Burushaski, spoken in Hunza, Nagar, and Yasin, the phrase bas’e yaray (“under the bridge”) appears in male-dominated vocabulary and social spaces in reference to such acts.
Beyond Shina and Burushaski, similar slang and terminology exist in other local languages, including Balti, Khowar, and Wakhi, as well as in Urdu, which serves as a lingua franca in Gilgit-Baltistan, particularly among teenagers and young men in both physical and online spaces.
These terms can intersect with the circulation of pornographic online content depicting sexual exploitation and abuse of boys, potentially contributing to the normalisation and cultural appropriation of abusive behaviour and creating an environment in which abuse may be tacitly acknowledged but rarely confronted.
The silence surrounding child sexual abuse in Gilgit-Baltistan is sustained by multiple factors. Fear of name-shaming and social stigma prevents victims and their families from reporting incidents. Family honour is often placed above the safety of the child, with some families choosing to remain silent rather than face community ostracism.
The unequal power dynamic between perpetrators and victims, particularly when perpetrators hold positions of authority or social influence, can further intimidate victims into silence. Societal apathy and the tacit acceptance of predatory behaviour can compound the problem, creating an environment in which abusers may operate with a sense of impunity.
Perhaps most tragically, some perpetrators may themselves have been victims of abuse during childhood. When trauma remains unaddressed, it can contribute to a cycle in which abusive behaviour is repeated across generations. In some cases, male family members who experienced abuse themselves may normalise or perpetuate the abuse of younger relatives.
Without appropriate psychosocial intervention, breaking such cycles of violence can become extremely difficult.
In some traditional settings, selective historical accounts involving past Muslim rulers and religious figures have reportedly been cited in ways that may contribute to silence around the sexual exploitation of boys, according to local observers. Civil society activists say such references do not alter the legal or rights-based obligations to protect children.
Earlier documented cases include the 2004 death of Muslim Khan, a student at a higher secondary school in Gilgit, who drowned in the Gilgit River after reportedly being confronted by a group of men, and the 2014 killing of an eight-year-old child in the suburbs of Gilgit following sexual abuse allegedly committed by three teenagers.
Law and Implementation Gap
Gilgit-Baltistan has the Child Protection Response Act 2017, which provides for a Child Protection Commission and structured responses to violence, sexual abuse, and maltreatment.
The commission remained largely non-functional for years due to funding shortfalls and limited political priority, according to reports. A meeting in January 2026 approved certain operational measures and training plans, but functional district-level child protection units capable of providing rapid responses are still not in place across the region.
Other laws prohibit corporal punishment and restrict the employment of children under the age of 14.
Child rights activists say the core problem is enforcement rather than the absence of legislation. They call for child-friendly reporting mechanisms in every district so that children can report abuse without fear of stigma or retaliation.
The Way Forward
UNICEF has identified robust child protection case management and referral systems as essential. Specialists emphasise prevention through age-appropriate education on body safety and personal boundaries, training for parents and teachers, and clear safeguarding standards for individuals who work with children outside formal institutions, including private tutors and coaches.
A comprehensive approach, according to child protection frameworks promoted by UNICEF and local advocates, would cover prevention, early identification, safe disclosure, case management, referral, psychosocial support, justice processes, and follow-up.
This would require coordinated action at the household, school, and district levels, with fully operational district child protection units serving as central referral hubs.
The August 27 resolution focused on immediate security and accountability measures. In the longer term, rights groups say, child protection depends on sustained funding, political commitment, and the full implementation of existing laws.
The protests in Hunza have reignited a critical conversation about child safety in Gilgit-Baltistan—not merely as a response to individual incidents, but as a systemic imperative requiring institutional reform, community engagement, and sustained political will.
