Menace of rape

Instances of rape have not abated and every week, new heinous cases come to the fore, sending shockwaves through society. This time, a six-year-old girl from Karachi’s Bin Qasim area, who went missing earlier this week, became the target of brutal monsters. These sick-minded individuals proceeded to dump the body in a drain off the National Highway. Even though the body had started decomposing, doctors were able to confirm the ordeal.

It is indeed scary and alarming that such monsters continue to lurk amid us, slowly anticipating their next target. These are not crimes of passion. These are calculated crimes aimed at targeting vulnerable children to assert some form of psychological dominance. These savages need to be brought to justice and made an example of in the public realm. This is the only way to deter others. The police need to do everything in their power to capture these culprits. They must look into CCTV footage of the highway to ascertain the vehicle used and interview those nearby if they had witnessed anything suspicious. Despite witnessing the plethora of cases being reported, our society continues to treat sexuality as a taboo subject. One of the factors that lead to a person committing rape is repressed sexuality. Sex education must be included in curriculums and schools need to stop sticking pages from Biology textbooks that describe the human anatomy. Adolescent children must be strictly taught about good touch, bad touch and how to deal with strangers as well as relatives.

Providing them with informed answers instead of having them question and explore themselves is the way to go. Parents, please stay vigilant. As for rapists, the justice system must extend its arm to punish them in the harshest way possible. There should be no space for impunity and conviction rates must rise.

Published in The Express Tribune, March 4^th, 2023.

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