KARACHI:
According to the Human Rights Watch in Pakistan, every two hours a woman is raped while every eight hours a woman is gang raped. Such seething statistics paint a dismal picture of those aspects of our society that are not often highlighted. However, whenever a rape case is highlighted two things always run parallel; cries for justice through severe methods such as castration or public execution, and the uptick of rhetoric that blames the women for act being committed against her.
Unfortunately, the response of the whole community lacks empathy towards the victim. People start to blame the victim, while the media sensationalises the information to improve their ratings. What is lost in the midst is the anguish, pain and the trauma the victim faces throughout the process. As a result, the explicit as well as the implicit culture of rape comes to the forefront, which in turn ends up silencing the victim and humanising the perpetrators. As the pain and suffering of the rape survivors take a backseat, we need to question if the victims really want people to judge them, talk about them or write about them — acts which do nothing but further violate their privacy and the remaining control they have on their lives. As the victims become public property at the backdrop of the rampant discussions at every level, it is necessary to stand up against this rape culture that shames and silences them. It is thus imperative to understand that education and awareness can play a vital role in eradicating the rape culture that is marring the social fabric of our country. Our society needs to rehabilitate the victims of rape with an aura of empathy and respect.
The flawed conceptions regarding the purity and respect of women should be readdressed. Moreover, the legal process of reporting rape cases should be transparent, streamlined and more empathetic. The detached attitude of the medical forensic personnel needs improvement and mental health professionals should be taken on board so that the process becomes less traumatising for the victim.
Hadia Mukhtar
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2020.
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