Intolerable crimes

In another harrowing and disgusting incident, a six-year-old girl and her two-year-old brother were found sexually assaulted and killed. Their bodies were found in a drain in Karachi’s Mauripur along with their 25-year-old mother’s. The three had been missing for two days. The police surgeon confirmed the siblings were sexually assaulted before being strangled to death, the girl ‘brutally’ so. The chances of the mother having been sexually abused were not ruled out either, the confirmation for this though has been withheld till the receipt of chemical reports.

Words don’t seem enough anymore to condemn this repeated horrifying violence, especially against children. Not a week passes by when an incident of this nature is not reported in the media. These are just the tip of the iceberg. A large number of such cases are not even reported to the police. According to Sahil, an NGO working for child welfare, at least 11 children were abused every day in Pakistan in 2023. This staggering number would have thrown authorities into meaningful action in any civilised country by now. But expecting this of Pakistani authorities is perhaps akin to living in a fool’s paradise. The impunity with which these vulgar crimes are committed against women and children here should long ago have pushed state authorities to do a lot more.

A weak investigation system, lack of resources and manpower and the general lethargy of the agencies and departments concerned all contribute. If cases are not highlighted in traditional and social media, there is a good chance not much will be done to resolve them. Improving legal strategies and ensuring convictions is only half the job. It has now become imperative for the state to utilise its resources to, first and foremost, understand what is triggering this kind of abuse in our society, and draw up a plan of action accordingly. Till then, all condemnations are going to be mere eyewash.