Rickshaw driver confesses rape, murder of three-year-old girl before court

**KARACHI:** A man accused of the rape and murder of a three-year-old girl in Karachi's Federal B area has confessed to his crimes in court. During a hearing on Monday, the police presented the accused, a rickshaw driver named Naseer and a neighbor of the victim, who recorded his statement under Section 164 of the Code of Criminal Procedure (CrPC).

Following his confession, the court ordered that Naseer be remanded to jail. He had initially admitted to the crime on October 10, just one day after the girl's body was discovered near her home on the morning of October 9. Authorities reported that he had placed the victim’s body in a sack before discarding it on the street. Local residents turned him over to the police.

The toddler’s body was found on a street near her residence in Gulberg, with a dupatta tied around her neck, suggesting she may have been strangled. Police obtained a CCTV image showing the accused carrying the girl's body in a sack. A post-mortem examination confirmed that the child had been raped, and the suspect is currently undergoing further interrogation as part of the ongoing investigation.

After the discovery of the body, it was taken to Abbasi Shaheed Hospital for medico-legal procedures. The victim, identified as Amna, was the youngest of six siblings. Her father is currently in Saudi Arabia for Umrah. According to police, Amna had followed her siblings to school around 7:15 a.m. and was found dead just 15 minutes later, not far from her home.

### Global Context of Sexual Violence Against Girls

In related news, a report from the United Nations International Children's Emergency Fund (UNICEF) reveals alarming statistics regarding sexual violence against girls and women. More than 370 million girls and women globally—approximately one in eight—have experienced rape or sexual assault before the age of 18. This figure increases to 650 million, or one in five, when including non-contact forms of sexual violence, such as online harassment or verbal abuse.

UNICEF's survey indicates that sexual violence transcends geographical, cultural, and economic barriers. Sub-Saharan Africa has the highest number of victims, with 79 million affected, representing 22% of girls and women. Eastern and South-Eastern Asia follows with 75 million, or 8%. The report also estimates that 73 million (9%) in Central and Southern Asia, 68 million (14%) in Europe and Northern America, 45 million (18%) in Latin America and the Caribbean, and 29 million (15%) in Northern Africa and Western Asia have been affected. Oceania has the highest percentage, with 6 million, accounting for 34% of its population.