UN warns AI and poverty fuel online sexual abuse of millions of Pakistani children
A UN report highlighted that about 1.5 million internet-using children in Pakistan suffered technology-facilitated sexual exploitation in a single year.
Presenting her final report to the UN General Assembly, Special Representative Najat Maalla M’jid warned that rapid AI advances are opening new avenues for child sexual exploitation, cyberbullying and recruitment into crime. A September 2026 study by UNICEF, ECPAT International and INTERPOL documented that around 1.5 million Pakistani children aged 12-17 faced at least one incident of technology-facilitated sexual abuse in a year.
The majority of abusers were people the children already knew, and social media platforms were the most common setting for these offenses. Over half of the affected children did not disclose the abuse, and none used formal reporting channels such as helplines or police. The report linked the rise in online abuse to broader vulnerabilities caused by poverty, displacement and climate-related emergencies, urging stronger legal frameworks and child-friendly reporting mechanisms.
Why it matters
The findings reveal a massive, hidden risk to children in Pakistan, demanding urgent policy and protection reforms.
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