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Actor Mariyam Nafees doesn’t want people to leave their children with male nannies. In a video posted to YouTube on Wednesday, she said she and her husband had taken their son Eesa to get vaccinated recently when they spotted two little girls with male nannies.

Saying this made both of them uncomfortable, Nafees questioned how any parent could trust their child in the care of a man. She quoted a 2023 report by Al Jazeera saying a child was sexually abused “every other hour” in Pakistan. The actor said the reality was worse than the statistics, owing to underreporting and families sweeping such incidents under the rug.

Nafees said she and her husband were disturbed by how anyone could leave a male nanny in charge of their kids, let alone their daughters. She urged all parents who can to please switch to female caretakers for their children’s safety.

A report issued in May said 1,828 cases of sexual abuse against children were reported in 2024 of a total 3,364 cases of child abuse in the country. Amongst the abuse victims, 1,791 — or roughly 53 per cent — were girls and 1,573 were boys.

Parents need to keep a vigilant eye on who interacts with their children, as perpetrators of abuse against children are often people with close access to their victims. While this does include caregivers, it also includes family members, teachers, sports coaches, and all other adults — and even older children — kids may come into contact with.