The Senate Functional Committee on Human Rights in Pakistan has demanded strong action to protect children from abuse at seminaries and schools across the country.

The meeting was reportedly chaired by Senator Samina Mumtaz Zehri at Parliament House.

The committee reviewed reports of corporal punishment, torture, and sexual abuse at religious seminaries across Punjab, Sindh, and Khyber Pakhtun­khwa.

Officials from federal and provincial departments briefed the committee on steps taken to address the issue, reported Dawn News.

According to the Pakistani media, Senator Samina Zehri stressed that the state’s foremost responsibility was to protect children.

She clarified that the committee did not aim to target legitimate religious institutions but to target abuse through oversight and accountability.

She expressed her concerns over lack of proper registration, financial transparency, and monitoring of these institutions.

Senator Aimal Wali Khan said many madressahs had turned into revenue-generating systems instead of being integrated into the national education framework, reported Dawn News.