Data released by a  non-profit organisation in Pakistan on Wednesday revealed as many as 20 children , who had gone missing from their homes, were sexually abused and then killed during the year 2023 across the country.

According to Roshni Helpline’s annual report, a total of 2,633 cases of missing children were reported in the country from January to December 2023, and 1,942 of them were successfully recovered and united with their parents, Dawn News reported.

The report said that bodies of 33 children were recovered during the last year and 20 of them were sexually abused and murdered.

The report further said seven bodies were recovered from manholes and drains, while five children died in accidents.

“Twenty-three kidnapped children were successfully recovered,” it added.

However, the organisation, which focused on tracking record of missing children and coordinating with authorities for their safe recovery, added that more than 600 children were still missing and efforts were underway for their recovery, Dawn News reported.

It said that Sindh reported 1,543 cases of missing children followed by Punjab with 805 cases, Islamabad with 125 cases, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa 113, Balochistan 35, Azad Kashmir 11 and Gilgit-Baltistan reported only one case.