Christian leaders in Pakistan have condemned the rape and murder of a seven-year-old girl in the eastern part of Punjab province.
"Pakistan, once again, has failed to protect its children," read a statement released by the National Commission for Justice and Peace (NCJP), a body of the Pakistan's Catholic bishops' conference.
The victim, Zainab Ansari, was kidnapped while she was on the way to a nearby home to attend Quranic classes. A week later, on Jan. 9, she was found dead and strangled in a garbage pile in the city of Kasur.
The autopsy report suggested she had been tortured.
"While praying for the soul of the deceased, her family and other victims, Archbishop [Joseph] Arshad [the chairperson of the NCJP] said that the whole nation weeps for this sin. It is a sin that shames us. Let us find the courage needed to take all necessary measures and to protect in every way the lives of our children, so that such crimes may never be repeated," read the statement, according to Crux.
The locals accused the police for taking not enough action to stop a series of child murders in the city.
Records suggest that Pakistan is the 11th highest rate of child sexual assault in the world, and being the third most dangerous country for women.
The NCJP said it "would like to plead the competent authorities to take under consideration all the other cases related to child abuse and bring perpetrators to exemplary justice."
It also listed several demands to the government. One of them included redefining the role, responsibilities and functions of the country's Child Protection Bureau in line with the protection and promotion of the children.
