Despite the rampant and horrifying stories of child sexual abuse across Pakistan, many survivors feel compelled by social stigma to keep their silence. Addressing the matter, Pakistani actress and social activist Nadia Jamil has been an avid responder against child abuse. Remarkably, Jamil’s protest against the pervasive shame culture comes from her own journey of healing from the traumatic ordeal.
Appearing as a guest on a podcast with host Frieha Altaf, the actress shared her candid reflections. Nadia noted, “The youngest victim [of child sexual abuse] I heard of was a three-day-old child. This is nothing new, this disease has been ongoing for centuries.” Criticising society’s failure to confront the grim reality, she said, “It’s disgusting that in this day and age, we don’t have the awareness. We can’t talk about it.” “How dare anyone tell me I cannot talk about what happened to me when I was a child?” Nadia posed the powerful question. The Behadd star maintained that it's the perpetrators whose honour is compromised, not the survivors’. She further insisted upon the importance of mental health, “You don't have to have gone through anything traumatic to invest in your mental health. The world is not an easy place. It is exhausting. It is challenging.”