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More Arrests In Pakistan Child Sex Abuse Case


Children whose families say have been abused, hide their faces while their mothers are interviewed by a Reuters correspondent in their village of Husain Khan Wala on August 9.
Children whose families say have been abused, hide their faces while their mothers are interviewed by a Reuters correspondent in their village of Husain Khan Wala on August 9.

Police in Pakistan say they have arrested five more people accused of sexually abusing children and distributing videos of the abuse.

The number of suspects in custody over the allegations is now 12.

At least 280 children were filmed being sexually abused by a gang of 25 men according to Latif Ahmed Sara, a lawyer and activist representing the victims.

The hundreds of videos made were then sold or used to blackmail the children’s parents.

On August 10, the Senate, the parliament’s upper house, passed a unanimous resolution condemning the abuse and demanding punishment for the offenders.

Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif has promised serious action against those responsible.

The allegations became public after victims' families clashed with police on August 4, complaining authorities were ignoring their cases.

Analysts say individual cases of child sexual abuse are not a rarity in Pakistan, but the case may be the first involving allegations of organized abuse.

Based on reporting by AFP, dpa, and AP
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