Pakistan’s Senate has passed a bill that criminalises sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.
Pakistan’s Senate has passed a bill that criminalises sexual assault against minors, child pornography and trafficking.
The Criminal Law (Amendment) Bill 2015 will go into force after being ratified by President Mamnoon Hussain.
Under the revised legislation, sexual assaults will now be punishable with up to seven years in prison. Previously, only rape was criminalised.
Likewise, child pornography, which was previously not mentioned in the law, will be punishable with seven years in prison and a fine of Rs 700,000.
The country was rocked by a major paedophilia scandal last August when it was revealed that hundreds of pornographic videos of children from Hussain Khanwala village in the Punjab province had been made and were being circulated.
About 20 arrests were made, but only the acts of rape and sodomy were punishable by law.
The new amendment also criminalises child trafficking within Pakistan. Previously, traffickers were only liable for punishment if they removed children from the country.
