KARACHI:
On September 7, the entire nation was left shaken by the news of a woman raped in front of her children on the motorway near Lahore. Unfortunately, while a majority shared these sentiments, there were a few who began pointing fingers at the victim. In our country, when a woman falls prey to sexual violence, her choice of attire or her being present at the wrong place at the wrong time is somehow absurdly used as a justification. However, the worrisome rise in the rape and murder of children points the finger back at those who provide such arguments.
Time and again we have understood that the fault of these recurring incidents lies within our failed police and justice system. It took 33 days for the Punjab Police to catch the main culprit. Had there not been a public outcry towards this horrendous incident, perhaps the culprit would still be at large. Since then, a two-and-a-half-year-old girl being referred to as “another Zainab”, an eight-year-old and a twelve-year-old boy have been raped at different instances in different parts of the city. But since there is no uproar regarding these cases, the police have not pursued the perpetrators of these barbaric acts.
Our society seems to be stuck in an endless cycle of blaming the victim, telling women to stay at home and how to dress. Such criminals are increasing by the day knowing that the chances of them being caught are minimal. As long as our police system is not reformed, this epidemic will continue unabated.
Raheela Kamran
Karachi
Published in The Express Tribune, October 16th, 2020.
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