Psyche and society

Letter October 13, 2020
It could also be the case that the deplorable conditions that millions of people are living in could very well be a significant element

KARACHI:

News regarding sexual assault and rape have increasingly been coming to the forefront in the past few weeks. While this fact alone should come as an immense shock, the type of incidents that occur are ones that shake the very foundations of our moral consciousness. It is heartbreaking to mention that a two-and-a-half-year-old girl was recently stabbed to death after being sexual assaulted in district Charsadda; and as per reports, her body was found dumped in the fields in the Daudzai area of Peshawar. Can you think of anything more gruesome than taking advantage of an innocent, voiceless child?

Unfortunately, the frequency of such incidents have been increasing at such an alarming rate that I fear that the very moral fabric of our society has been ruptured, in turn creating obscurity and chaos. Thus, this single act, a cause of grave concern, should alone coerce authorities to ponder over the social conditions that force people to commit such heinous crimes.

From a psychological point of view, it may seem fairly simple; sexual repression coupled with fanatic ideas of purity and respect at a young age often manifest themselves in a twisted and demented manner through the unconscious later on — such as the case mentioned above. But when one adds the social factor into the dynamic, the situation becomes rather complicated.

It could also be the case that the deplorable conditions that millions of people are living in could very well be a significant element; and this could very well be a side effect of the multiple crises the Pakistan is embroiled in. This proves that we not only need to look at such cases from multiple perspectives but it also indicates that fact that we need a new system of understanding.

Muhammad Bakhtiyar

Turbat

Published in The Express Tribune, October 13th, 2020.

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