Once again, the country is confronted with the tragic consequences of unchecked brutality in our educational institutions — this time, from a religious seminary in Swat, where a young boy, Farhan, lost his life after allegedly being beaten by his teachers for the “offence” of missing a few days of classes.
Farhan is no longer with us to tell his story, but his silence speaks volumes. His death is not an isolated incident, nor is it the result of a one-off lapse in judgment. It is the latest in a long, shameful pattern of institutionalized violence masquerading as discipline — a practice that continues to claim lives with impunity across both secular and religious schools.
Despite repeated calls by human rights organizations, parliamentarians, and child protection advocates, Pakistan remains one of the countries where corporal punishment is widely tolerated, if not quietly condoned. In many cases, the response to such abuse is denial, deflection, or deliberate distortion of facts. The initial claim made to Farhan’s uncle — that the child had fallen in a toilet and died — is emblematic of this tendency to obscure the truth.
This culture of silence must be shattered.
Religious seminaries, many of which operate beyond the formal regulatory framework, must not be treated as exceptions to the law. It is unconscionable that institutions claiming moral and spiritual authority continue to employ medieval methods of control — methods wholly at odds with the teachings of the faith they claim to represent. Islam does not permit cruelty against children; on the contrary, it enjoins compassion, mercy, and gentleness. The use of the rod, particularly to the point of death, is not piety — it is barbarism.
Legislative measures banning corporal punishment have been introduced in the past, including the Islamabad Capital Territory Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Act (2021), but enforcement remains abysmally weak. Most provinces lack comprehensive mechanisms for monitoring compliance in both public and private schools, let alone the vast network of unregulated seminaries.
It is time for the state to demonstrate resolve. Those responsible for Farhan’s death must be brought to justice swiftly and transparently. But beyond arrests and FIRs, the system itself must be restructured. This includes mandatory teacher training in all institutions, oversight of curriculum and conduct, and most importantly, the establishment of an independent child protection authority with real power to investigate and intervene.
Parents, too, must no longer be coerced into silence. Too many have accepted abuse as an inevitable part of “education” — a price to be paid for religious instruction or discipline. This collective desensitization to violence against children is a moral failing for which society at large must take responsibility.
Farhan deserved better. So did the dozens of children before him whose names we may never know. Let us not wait for another death to remember our conscience.
