The Punjab prosecutor general has sought a mechanism to check existing and future faculty and staff for any sex offender records in an effort to combat sexual violence at educational institutions, it emerged on Wednesday.

The proposal was made in a letter written on Tuesday by Punjab Prosecutor General Syed Farhad Ali Shah to the provincial Public Prosecution Department’s secretary, who will then forward the request to the federal law ministry.

The letter noted that the Sex Offenders Register, a countrywide database maintained by the National Database and Registration Authority (Nadra), was a “powerful tool in the fight against sexual violence and for the protection of the most vulnerable in our society”.

However, Shah highlighted, there was a “critical gap in the safeguarding of educational institutions”.

He contended that the full potential of the database for preventative measures remained “largely untapped, particularly in environments where children and young adults are most susceptible”.

Therefore, the prosecutor general requested the Ministry of Law and Justice to develop and notify a formal mechanism that allowed “hiring authorities of all public and private educational institutions to request a character verification check specifically provided in the Sex Offenders Register maintained by Nadra, before completing the recruitment process”.

The mechanism should also enable the verification of “existing faculty members/teaching and non-teaching staff of educational institutions”, the letter added.

Shah further urged the law ministry to make this verification mandatory and a “non-negotiable part of the recruitment process for all staff, both teaching and non-teaching”. Clear guidelines be issued to all federal and provincial education departments, as well as to the administrations of universities, colleges and schools, the official requested.

Shah commended the promulgation of the Anti-Rape (Sex Offenders Register) Rules 2023 under the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021.

After various reforms in Pakistan’s anti-rape laws over the past decades, the Anti-Rape (Investigation and Trial) Act 2021 was hailed as a major milestone for victims. It expanded the definition of rape, introduced measures for time-bound trials for speedy justice for rape survivors and incorporated provisions for witness protection.

“Educational institutions-schools, colleges, and universities are meant to be safe havens for learning and growth,” the prosecutor general wrote.

He noted that the recruitment of faculty members, teaching staff, and non-teaching staff was currently based on academic credentials, professional experience, and background checks, “which cannot reveal a history of sexual offences”.

“This leaves a dangerous loophole through which a convicted sex offender could potentially gain employment in a position of trust and authority over students, thereby putting an entire student body at risk,” the official warned.

If implemented, the verification against the Sex Offenders Register “would serve as a robust deterrence and a proactive child protection measure”, the prosecutor general asserted.

“It would empower educational institutions to make informed hiring decisions and, most importantly, create a significantly safer environment for students, aligning perfectly with the spirit and objective of the anti-rape laws.”

During 2024, 1,828 out of 3,364 child abuse cases reported from all four provinces were cases of child sexual abuse, according to a report by Sahil.