Numbers of child abuse are growing by the day in countries around the globe. In Pakistan alone, eight children are abused every day and thousands go unreported, according to Islamabad-based NGO Sahil. The country recorded a total of 2,846 cases of violence against young children in 2019, reported from all four provinces. Now, some Pakistani male celebrities have taken it upon themselves to stand up against child abuse. For this reason, stars including the likes of Wasim Akram, Shoaib Malik, Bilal Ashraf, Adnan Siddiqui, Shahzad Roy, Humayun Saeed and Mikaal Zulfiqar joined the cause by posting their selfies with their fingernails painted. It was their attempt of portraying the “softer side” of men to their followers in Pakistan and across the world.
Some of the toughest men Pakistan has ever produced are showing their softer side & colouring one nail to represent the millions of children who suffer every day at the hand of an adult. Our Pakistani heroes say “We WILL NOT tolerate child abuse in our country” 💪#PolishedManPk pic.twitter.com/pM4fBf8W3q
— Shaniera Akram (@iamShaniera) October 18, 2020
It’s about changing mindsets, doing something different, bringing about change though conversation. It’s about men stepping outside their comfort zones enough to make the pledge. Nail polish is not permanent it can be removed, but the scars from child abuse last a lifetime. https://t.co/ROyVIqbEFx
— Shaniera Akram (@iamShaniera) October 19, 2020
Shaniera Akram, wife of cricketing legend Wasim, also took to her social media accounts and shed light on the ‘Polished Man’ campaign to raise awareness about child abuse. She shared the pictures of the male celebrities sporting nail polish and captioned her post, “Some of the toughest men Pakistan has ever produced are showing their softer side and colouring one nail to represent the millions of children who suffer every day at the hand of an adult. Our Pakistani heroes say ‘We WILL NOT tolerate child abuse in our country’.” She then re-tweeted the posts uploaded by Ashraf, Malik and Saeed among others.
Every child deserves the right to feel safe and protected. NO MORE to child violence. Join me and become a polished Man. Children stay strong in silence every day, there is nothing tougher than painting a nail for them 💙 #PolishedManPk #PolishedMan pic.twitter.com/1oNUq4wUMg
— Bilal Ashraf (@IamBilalAshraf) October 18, 2020
Over 1 billion children suffer every year at the hand of an adult!Well not on our watch💪.Join us this October & show your support for our children and become a #PolishedMan today!🤚🇵🇰 #PolishedManCampaign #EndViolenceAgainstChildren#PakistanSaysNoMoreViolence #PolishedManPk pic.twitter.com/MjE6US4SQX
— Humayun Saeed (@iamhumayunsaeed) October 18, 2020
– Over 1 billion children suffer every year at the hand of an adult! Well not on our watch💪.
Join us this October & show your support for our children and become a #PolishedMan today!🤚🇵🇰 #PolishedManCampaign #EndViolenceAgainstChildren#PakistanForPolishedMan #PolishedManPk pic.twitter.com/4AoeghwM3T
— Shoaib Malik 🇵🇰 (@realshoaibmalik) October 17, 2020
Over 1 billion children suffer every year at the hand of an adult!Well not on our watch💪.Join us this October & show your support for our children and become a #PolishedMan today!🤚🇵🇰 #PolishedManCampaign #EndViolenceAgainstChildren#PakistanSaysNoMoreViolence #PolishedManPk pic.twitter.com/lkBHf8pmMu
— Asif Shaikh (@asifshaikhnz) October 18, 2020
An avid supporter of human rights and vocal about subjects close to her heart, Shaniera added, “#PolishedMan campaign has been around for years and now in 2020, due to the highest level of child violence to come out of Pakistan, celebrities & sporting stars join this international campaign to show their support for children suffering in silence from child abuse in Pakistan.” She encouraged other men to jump onto the bandwagon and raise their voices against the rapidly increasing cases of child abuse in the country. “Talking about Child Abuse is better than not talking about Child Abuse! We need to infiltrate people’s homes in Pakistan with the necessary conversations around this topic. And if a man colouring his nail can spark a wave of awareness, then so be it! Man up, Colour your nail today.” Shaniera ended her tweets with a heart-wrenching post that read, “It’s about changing mindsets, doing something different, bringing about change though conversation. It’s about men stepping outside their comfort zones enough to make the pledge. Nail polish is not permanent it can be removed, but the scars from child abuse last a lifetime.”
