RAWALPINDI      -       A total of 4,503 children were sodomized while 3,088 women were raped in various areas of Punjab in first 10 months of year 2022, according to a reported issued by Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) Violence against Women and Children in Punjab here on Tuesday. The report said that 27 percent of child abuse cases occurred in Lahore only. According to research by the Sustainable Social Development Organization (SSDO) and the Centre for Research, Development and Communication (CRDC), there were 4,503 cases of child abuse and 3,088 cases of rape of women in the province of Punjab this year, up till 31st October 2022. This data was obtained from the Punjab Police, who consolidated data of cases from 1st January 2022 to 31st October 2022. Looking at both violence against women and children, Lahore and Faisalabad led with the highest number of cases, while in the case of rape, Sargodha, Multan and Sheikhupura were the next hotspots, while Sheikhupura, Kasur, Gujranwala and Rawalpindi were hotspots of child abuse. For child abuse in particular, 27 percent of the cases occurred in Lahore, which meant that over one in four cases occurred in only one of the 36 districts. Similarly, on the other end, districts like Jhelum, Chakwal, Mianwali, Narrowal and Khushab were among those with the lowest prevalence of violence against women and children. The report was launched at the Sociology Department at the University of Punjab. Speaking at the event, Syed Kausar Abbas, Executive Director, SSDO stated, “The purpose of consolidating this data is to present the current situation at district level about violence against women and children in Punjab. Moreover, we want to provide reference to relevant policymakers and stakeholders to take initiatives to reduce violence against women and children through policy-making and implementation of relevant laws by identifying hotspot districts of crime.