Rape at hospital?

Another day, another report of a minor being abused. Police in Lahore have registered a case based on allegations from the staff of Sir Ganga Ram Hospital (SGRH) and the Young Doctors Association (YDA) that a five-year-old girl was raped on the hospital's premises. The case was only registered after a protest was staged by the YDA. According to media reports, the hospital's administration tried its best to downplay the incident, with the medical superintendent claiming that a sanitary worker only "touched" the minor. The hospital's version may well be true, but then why the attempts to obstruct the course of a probe? Why the text of the FIR did not mention rape? One fails to understand why the country's law enforcement moves at a snail's pace to even register a report in such cases. Why the reluctance? Why the attempts to brush it under the rug? There is evidently a fundamental flaw in our society that allows these incidents to occur with alarming frequency.

This pervasive issue underscores the urgent need for societal reform and greater protection for children. The allegations of rape must be thoroughly investigated. The police must end their desensitised attitude and help the survivors of such crimes. The state must play its role in ensuring justice. Have we learned nothing about the importance of proactively protecting our children from sexual violence? Significant progress was made with the Zainab Alert, Response and Recovery Act of 2019, designed to reduce such crimes and raise awareness about their dangers. However, its implementation has been far from satisfactory. The government should also initiate a nationwide awareness campaign to address this issue and educate parents and guardians on how to protect their children and wards from the dangers they face. As a state which routinely fails its women, we must strive to ensure the protection of our children and bring about tangible change.