Nearly one in 16 internet-using children aged 12 to 17 in Pakistan experienced technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse in a single year, according to a new study. The figure translates to around 1.5 million children.The findings are part of Disrupting Harm in Pakistan, released this week by UNICEF Innocenti, ECPAT International and INTERPOL and funded by Safe Online. The report was launched in Islamabad with Pakistan’s National Commission on the Rights of the Child.The study is based on a national survey of internet-using children aged 12 to 17 and their caregivers, interviews with frontline and justice workers, and a review of relevant laws and institutions.More than half of the children who reported experiencing such abuse said they did not tell anyone about it. None of the children surveyed said they had approached the police, social workers or a helpline.In most cases reported by the children, the alleged perpetrator was someone they already knew. Social media was the most frequently mentioned setting.Mark Beavan, Head of INTERPOL’s Crimes Against Children Unit, said the findings highlighted the urgent need to strengthen protections for children facing technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse.“The findings from Disrupting Harm Pakistan highlight the urgent need to strengthen protection for children facing technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse,” he said.Beavan said the research identified legal and institutional gaps alongside the experiences of children and survivors and offered recommendations to improve prevention, reporting, victim support and criminal justice responses.UNICEF Pakistan Representative Pernille Ironside said the digital world should be a safe space for children and called for stronger systems to prevent abuse and ensure perpetrators and digital platforms are held accountable.National Commission on the Rights of the Child Chairperson Ayesha Raza Farooq said Pakistan had an important legal foundation, but the priority was now to ensure its effective implementation so children and families could access justice.A wider UNICEF paper covering 21 countries estimated that almost one in five internet-using children aged 12 to 17 experienced at least one form of technology-facilitated sexual exploitation and abuse in a year.Pakistan’s reported rate is lower than that multi-country average, but the number of affected children remains significant. The Pakistan estimate applies only to children who use the internet and does not represent all children in the country.India was not among the countries surveyed for the study.