Pakistan MPs back hanging for child abuse

Pakistan's parliament has voted in favour of a non-binding resolution calling for the public hanging of criminals convicted of the sexual abuse of children.

"Those who commit crimes against children deserve no mercy... they should be hanged in the middle of the cities," Minister for Parliamentary Affairs Ali Mohamed Khan said after presenting the resolution in the National Assembly.

"The hanging will act as deterrence for others," Khan added.

More than half of the assembly members voted in favour of the resolution, which is not legally binding.

Pakistan had an unofficial moratorium on the death penalty until 2014.

But this was lifted for people convicted of terrorism after Taliban gunmen killed nearly 150 children at an army-run school in the north western city of Peshawar.

About 400 prisoners on death row have been hanged since then.

There has been a spike in sexual crimes against children in Pakistan in recent years but convictions are rare.

Rights activist Taimur Kamal said MPs had gone too far by demanding public hanging.

"Anger against abusers is understandable... but seeking death for that is also not a solution."