By Syeda Sonia Imran
The internet is far larger than the websites most people encounter through ordinary searches. What is commonly called the Surface Web is only the publicly indexed part of the online world. Beneath it lies the Deep Web, which includes enormous amounts of material that search engines do not routinely index: private databases, banking systems, medical records, academic repositories, corporate networks and services protected by passwords or other forms of authorization.
A smaller part of this hidden online environment is known as the Dark Web. It operates through specialized networks, including Tor, and has become associated with both legitimate privacy-preserving uses and serious criminal activity. Drugs, stolen data, fraud, cybercrime and other illicit markets have existed on anonymous networks. But the mythology surrounding the Dark Web is often as extensive as the documented criminality. Stories about so-called Red Rooms, websites offering murder for hire and other spectacular claims have circulated for years without convincing evidence. They should not be presented as established facts simply because they appear repeatedly online.
This distinction matters because sensational claims can obscure a genuine and urgent problem: the exploitation, sexual abuse and murder of children.
Pakistan has repeatedly confronted horrifying cases of child abuse. These crimes are not products of the internet alone, nor are they unique to Pakistan. But digital technology has created new opportunities for offenders to contact victims, exchange abusive material, conceal identities and exploit vulnerable people across borders. That makes child protection not only a social and policing issue but increasingly a digital one.
The case of Javed Iqbal, who was convicted in connection with the murders of children in Lahore, remains one of the most disturbing episodes in Pakistan’s criminal history. His crimes exposed the vulnerability of children living on the margins of society and raised difficult questions about how effectively institutions protect those who have nowhere else to turn. Later speculation about links to organ trafficking or unidentified networks has circulated, but such allegations require evidence and should not be treated as established facts.
The Kasur child abuse scandal that emerged in 2015 was another watershed. The alleged sexual exploitation and recording of children over an extended period shocked the country and demonstrated how abuse can persist when communities, institutions and authorities fail to act. The case also highlighted a disturbing reality: children are often most vulnerable not because criminals possess extraordinary technology, but because adults and institutions around them fail to recognize warning signs or respond effectively.
The murder and sexual assault of Zainab Ansari in Kasur in 2018 produced another wave of national outrage. Her death became a symbol of the vulnerability of children and the demand for justice. Yet outrage alone has proved insufficient. Every major case generates public anger, promises of action and calls for tougher punishment. What is needed is a child-protection system capable of preventing abuse before another tragedy occurs.
It is tempting to explain such crimes through the language of individual depravity or mental illness. That may describe some offenders, but it does not explain every case. Investigators must also examine whether organized criminal networks, financial incentives, online distribution and exploitation are involved. Where digital evidence exists, it must be preserved and investigated professionally rather than buried beneath speculation.
The response must also extend beyond law enforcement. Schools, families, social services, hospitals and digital platforms all have responsibilities. Children need age-appropriate education about personal safety and online risks. Parents and teachers need to know how to recognize grooming and abuse. Police investigators require specialist training in digital forensics and child-sensitive procedures. Courts need mechanisms that protect child victims from further trauma while ensuring that evidence is properly examined.
The Dark Web should neither be demonized as a mysterious parallel universe nor ignored as an internet curiosity. It is a set of technologies and networks that can be used for legitimate privacy purposes as well as criminal activity. The same principle applies to cryptocurrencies, which are sometimes portrayed as completely anonymous. They can provide privacy, but transactions can also leave traceable records and have increasingly become the subject of sophisticated financial investigations.
(The writer is an IT professional & Social media expert, also write opinions on various issues, can be reached at editorial@metro-morning.com)
