The unfortunate incident at Sialkot-Lahore motorway has deeply shattered the sentiments of the people and ignited a discourse about finding ways to put an end to such heinous crimes. Before discussing possible solutions, one must first try to understand the causes behind the carrying of such evil acts.
The chief cause is the turbulent psychological state of mind that gets its impetus from the movies depicting extreme intimate scenes of male violence and dominance. Such movies ignite the fantasies of amateur minds and affect those who have little awareness. In many instances the highly educated individuals are involved in sexual assaults too, so education does not seem to be a significant indicator. The second factor adding fuel to fire is the laxity in prosecution and loopholes in the legal justice system. The process from catching a rapist, collecting the evidences and bringing the culprit to justice is often so stretched that it takes years, if not decades, to reach a sensible verdict. The painful case of Mukhtaran Mai, which took eight years, is a case in point. The third and maybe the most important factor is the ridiculous mindset of the masses to blame the victim for the incident. Instead of providing emotional support and asking for some workable solution, our society instead engages in moral schooling the victim.
To curb such heinous crimes, a concentrated and holistic approach is needed that covers various areas such as censoring movies glorifying intimacy and making sure proper laws are in place to protect the victim. While the presence of laws won’t scare the rapists, the implementation of laws may bring about positive results.
Usama Manzoor
Larkana
Published in The Express Tribune, September 18th, 2020.
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