The menace of sexual assault and harassment has increased manifold
KARACHI: The menace of sexual assault and harassment has increased manifold. It is not just women or little girls who face assault within their own homes and by their own relatives, but outside home, many young boys are also at risk of being molested.
The next social interaction of a child takes place at a school of learning but they are not any safer there. Reports of a student being abused by his or her teacher are rampant and make up for the highest number of child molestation cases. According to a recent report by the Associated Press, around two million young boys in Pakistan are at risk of being molested.
However, for cases of assault within families hailing from feudal background, the victim experiences immense pressure to stay silent in order to preserve the honour of the family. And if they choose to speak up, the family of the victim is forced to resolve the matter within the clan, which more often than not suggests marrying off the victim to their abuser. On the other hand, most cases occurring at school remain unreported as the police refuse to register an FIR.
Maria Muhammad
Published in The Express Tribune, November 29th, 2017.
Like Opinion & Editorial on Facebook, follow @ETOpEd on Twitter to receive all updates on all our daily pieces.
