Incidents of abuse of women and children appear to be taking place at an alarming rate in Faisalabad.
Official record shows that 176 cases of violence against women have been registered in the region during the first seven months of this year. In 160 cases, the accused have been arrested and charged. Attempts to rape 130 women and girls were reported during the period.
During the seven months, there have been 97 cases of child molestation and 92 accused have been arrested and charged. Cases of attempts to abuse 35 minors have been registered in various police stations.
In the latest incidents, police are carrying out raids for arresting a man accused of raping his daughter in Satiana area whereas Saddar Sammundri police registered cases against three men who alleged abducted and rape a teenage girl in the city.
In the first incident, the case filed by Saleema Bibi, daughter of Ghulam Hussain, a resident of Chak No. 129GB Nai Abadi, at Satiana police station states that she was married to Javed Iqbal Ora, a resident of the same village, 15 years ago. The couple has a daughter and two sons.
She said her husband is a labourer and she rears cattle. On Saturday, she along with her 14-year-old daughter and husband went to nearby fields to get fodder for the cattle, she stated.
The complainant said that she and her husband and daughter went to different parts of the fields to cut grass near the sugarcane crop for their cattle. Meanwhile, her husband raped his daughter, she alleged. When she heard her daughter crying, she called her husband but he managed to escape from the fields, she alleged.
Satiana police registered a case against the accused under section 376 of Pakistan Penal Code and started raids to arrest him. SHO Satiana Sub-Inspector Yousuf Shehzad told The Express Tribune that Saleema Bibi, a resident of Chak No. 129GB, came to the police station and stated that her daughter had been raped by her husband while she was cutting grass.
He said the police had got conducted the medical examination of the girl and registered a case against her father. Raids were carried out at various places to arrest Javed Iqbal but he could not be apprehended. Now the police were trying to arrest him with the help of mobile phone location.
In the second incident, a 15-year-old girl was abducted and raped by two men who threw her near a primary school when her condition deteriorated and fled.
The victim was shifted to a hospital when the villagers got to know about her condition.
Police reached the spot and registered a case against the accused.
Police officials said that the teenage victim, daughter of Imdad Hussain and a resident of Chak No 477 GB, was on her way home from work when the accused Rehman Ali and two others abducted her and took her to an unknown location where she was raped.
When her condition deteriorated, she was thrown near the primary school the next day. Saddar Sammundri police has registered cases against both the accused under sections 365 and 376 TPP and started raids to arrest the accused.
Prominent High Court Advocate Maryam Malik said while commenting on the incidents that the whole society was responsible for protecting the minor girls from abuse. She pledged to provide the victims’ families the maximum possible legal assistance.
She added that in order to prevent such incidents, the government should launch awareness campaigns in rural areas against sexual abuse.
(The alleged victim’s identity has not been disclosed as a matter of policy)
Published in The Express Tribune, August 10th, 2020.
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