Rape after rape

It is with a sickening and gut wrenching feeling of revulsion when one wakes up in the morning and glances at morning papers to read that yet another child has been subjected to brutal rape and heinously murdered by criminally insane sexual predators. Such was the case on Friday, March 1, when a 10-year-old girl’s body was found on the rooftop of a three-storey apartment building in Karachi. The body was tied to the overhead water tank of the building. Sixteen people who lived in the building were hauled up and their DNA samples sent for analysis. It is virtually impossible to fathom the grief and shock of the family and mere expression of words cannot bring solace to the bereaved relatives. This is not the first nor is it likely to be the last case of such a heinous nature. Over the last several years, we have silently followed cases of rape and murder, especially that of little Zainab, which have left the nation in a state of shock. There have also been cases of child maid abuse committed shockingly by educated and so-called respectable families in our society. It is true that in a complex society these things do happen, but the question, however, is what can we do to prevent such heinous crimes? The problem is compounded by the laxity of our laws, alleged police apathy and the all-pervasive corruption. The powers-that-be need to crack down and — crack down hard on — the criminal elements.

First of all, the relevant laws need to be reformed urgently. The police, judiciary and civil society must sit together and formulate and make recommendations to tackle this growing evil. We ought to ensure a safer environment for our women and girls. The government should award deterrent punishment to the perpetrators of such horrifying crimes.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 3^rd, 2019.

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