The girl, a student of class-III, was found semi-unconscious in a school bathroom at the end of the school day. Class-fellows told police that they had heard the girl crying out for help during the school day. When they alerted school administration to the shouts, the school administration reportedly shrugged off their concerns, saying that children often make noise.
Police stated that their initial inquiry revealed that the suspect had managed to lock the girl in the washroom before proceeding to rape her. The crime scene suggested the girl had tried to ward off her attacker and resisted the assault. Police believe the rapist may be a male student at the school.
The girl was taken to the hospital, where doctors confirmed the sexual assault. Police have lodged a case against the yet unidentified suspect, and are relying on CCTV footage from the school to investigate the incident.
A report from non-profit Sahil found that nearly 3,000 children in Pakistan were sexually abused in 2020 - averaging more than 8 child victims a day. The assaults occurred almost evenly among girls and boys (1,510 girls and 1,450 boys). Most of the abused children were between the ages of 11 and 15 years old, accounting for 35% of assault victims (1,020 children). At least 678 children between the ages of 6 and 10 years old were also abused (23% of child assault victims).