When a child disappears, a whole society should stop and ask: Where is our humanity?
By Abeer Zeb, Peshawar
A four-and-a-half-year-old child should be holding her mother’s hand, playing with toys and dreaming about tomorrow. She should never become a name associated with a missing-person case, a police investigation, or a demand for justice.
According to the information shared in the report, Ayat Noor, a 4.5-year-old girl from Haripur, was reported missing on August 7. Fifteen days later, her body was reportedly recovered from a well. Police reports stated that she was allegedly abused and killed, and three suspects were arrested. The investigation is ongoing.
Behind these painful words is a child who had a family, a home and a future.
Ayat Noor was not merely a headline. She was a human being. Her life had value. Her dignity mattered. Her safety was a responsibility shared by her family, her community, the authorities and society as a whole.
The most painful question is not only who committed this crime? It is also: Could this child have been protected?
Human rights begin with the right to life, dignity and security. Children are among the most vulnerable members of society, and they need stronger protection—not only after tragedy occurs, but before it happens.
When a child goes missing, every minute matters. Families need immediate support, police investigations must be serious and professional, and justice must not disappear with public attention. Arrests are important, but arrest is not the same as justice. Justice requires a fair investigation, due process, accountability and, where guilt is established by a competent court, appropriate punishment under the law.
Ayat Noor’s story should not become just another hashtag that disappears from social media after a few days.
We must ask difficult questions.
Are our children truly safe?
Are missing-child cases receiving the urgency they deserve?
Are communities doing enough to protect vulnerable children?
And are we teaching our children how to recognize danger and seek help?
A society cannot call itself safe when its children are afraid.
We owe Ayat Noor more than sympathy. We owe her justice, accountability and a commitment to protecting every child from violence and abuse.
Let her name remind us that behind every statistic is a human life.
A child is not a headline.
A child is not a hashtag.
A child is a life—and every life deserves protection.
