rape

Rape Scars

1 min read

When the girl child is viewed as a lesser mortal and children are violated with alarming frequency, it is time to concede that the rot in society runs deep. While incidents of child abuse, rape and murder mount across the country, the nation refuses to rise in anger. Recently, a teenage girl was gang-raped by robbers in the presence of her family near Pakpattan; four armed men on motorcycles intercepted the victim’s car, snatched their car keys, stole cash, gold jewellery, and mobiles, and took the girl to the roadside maize fields where she was tortured and gang-raped by two criminals, while the other two held her family hostage. Clearly, we are at the threshold of a rape crisis and the reason for it is our flimsy response; it aborts justice by perpetuating stigmatisation and victim-blaming.

The government and law enforcement have failed to protect children from sexual violence. More disgraceful is the fact that, despite improved awareness due to more reported cases, the attitude adopted by the criminal justice system towards rape cases remains problematic. The ruling elite is unshaken by data from Sahil — 11 children were abused daily in 2023, and a gender divide analysis of the statistics revealed that out of the total reported cases, 53pc were girl victims and 47pc boys.

Moreover, in cultures where sexual crimes are treated as taboo, survivors are deprived of essential mental and medical support. Thus, holistic healing is as vital as justice for a safe society. Silence and scars create anti-social individuals who are unable to escape the cycle of crime. Reparation completes justice for the violated, along with preventive mechanisms in rural and urban areas that align with international criteria — CCTV monitoring, rapid response units, heightened patrolling, women personnel, and robust care systems for all survivors. Lawmakers cannot tread wearily around the issue; they must tackle gender disparity, listen to victims, and punish felons.

(Editorial) Published in Dawn, September 25th, 2024

school privatisation protest
Previous Story

Teachers Protest Outsourcing Of Schools

Next Story

250,000 Die Annually Due To Drug Addiction

Latest from Blog

Saif Claims Successes In Health, Education Sectors

PESHAWAR: Adviser to the chief minister on information and public relations Barrister Mohammad Ali Saif has said under the Sehat Card Plus programme, free medical services were provided to 4.4 million citizens of the province. “The provincial government has also included expensive and lifesaving treatments like kidney, liver, bone marrow,…

Teenage TikToker’s Murder Exposes Society’s Misogyny

ISLAMABAD: Since seeing thousands of comments justifying the recent murder of a teenage TikTok star in Pakistan, Sunaina Bukhari is considering abandoning her 88,000 followers. “In my family, it wasn’t an accepted profession at all, but I’d managed to convince them, and even ended up setting up my own business,” she said.…

Deaf Mute Rape Victim Carries Pregnancy

LAHORE/GUJRAT: The Hafizabad police have booked an unknown suspect(s) on the charge of raping a 14-year-old audibly challenged girl with poor mental and physical condition. The girl was brought to a government hospital on Saturday by her parents due to her deteriorating health where doctors found her six-month pregnant. The…

47 Environmental Samples Found Positive For Polio

ISLAMABAD: As many as 47 environmental samples have tested positive for poliovirus, according to an official of the polio programme. As part of ongoing robust poliovirus surveillance across the country, a total of 116 environmental (sewage) samples were collected from 82 districts during the month of May and tested at…

Minister Urges Employers To Strictly Adhere To Child Labour Laws

ISLAMABAD: Federal Minister for Poverty Alleviation and Social Safety Syed Imran Ahmed Shah has urged employers to strictly adhere to child labour laws in order to ensure that children rights are fully protected. In a statement on the occasion of World Day Against Child Labour on June 12, the minister also…
Go toTop