Job offers used as bait to trap women on the rise

Increasing number of predators are luring women through employment offers made over WhatsApp

LAHORE:

For a homebound woman with limited education and no professional experience, the sudden opportunity to earn money and support her struggling household feels like a miraculous ray of hope. In a perverted society, however, this hope is used as a bait by predators to trap naive women and fill their vacancies for victims.

Such was the story of Muqaddas Rahim*, a 35-year-old single mother from Baghbanpura, Lahore.

Following her divorce, she moved back into her parents' home with her three-year-old son and was in dire need of financial independence.

"In February last year, I received a call on WhatsApp from a man who offered me a job. Due to my tough financial situation, I accepted the offer and was invited for an interview at a location in Iqbal Town. Once I reached the location, I was gang raped by three men. Although the accused were arrested and convicted, I have not been able to recover from the trauma," shared Muqaddas.

Unfortunately, however, Muqaddas's case is not an isolated incident of fraudulent job offers being used as a tool for sexual violence. In August 2021, a woman seeking employment in Lahore was offered a job by two men. When she reached the appointed place, the accused gang-raped her and threatened to leak her video if she reported it. In September 2021, a mother of two children went to her workplace in Rawalpindi where she was allegedly raped by the man who had offered her the job.

In November 2023, an orphaned girl was gang-raped by drunken suspects under the guise of a job offer in the Raiwind area, and was later blackmailed by the accused, who filmed her during the crime. In May 2024, a woman from Jhang was invited to Lahore for a job interview and was taken to a flat, where five suspects allegedly gang-raped her. Similarly, in July 2024, a girl was raped within the limits of the Race Course police station area under the pretext of a job offer. In March this year, a woman from Faisalabad was taken to an unknown location for a job interview and was subsequently raped.

According to the Federal Investigation Agency (FIA), a total of 965 incidents of sexual assault of women under the pretext of a job offer were reported during the past two years. While 233 cases were reported in 2023 and 569 cases were reported in 2024, 167 incidents have already occurred during the first two months of this year.

Despite a 330 per cent increase in the incidence of such cases over the past three years, the conviction rate for the accused remains as low as five per cent since the majority are released due to insufficient evidence, non-compliance by the plaintiff, reconciliation or simply poor investigation.

According to Maryam Gandapur, a human rights activist and lawyer at the Lahore High Court, these figures fail to present an accurate picture of the gravity of the problem since the majority of victims of sexual violence in job scams remain silent for fear of stigmatization. "Even if a victim tells her family, it will not only bring disgrace to her but will also prevent her from working anywhere else," said Gandapur.

"After such incidents, the victims develop a host of psychological problems.

First of all, they are afraid to disclose this to their families since they fear that this will tarnish their reputation, and they won't get marriage proposals.

Secondly, the victims are unlikely to take up paid employment in the future and even when they do, they are constantly fearful.

Eventually, the victims suffer mental agony for years and can no longer trust men," explained Fatima Tahir, a clinical psychologist.

Expressing her concern over the rising incidence of rape through job frauds, ASP Lahore Syeda Sheherbano Naqvi urged women to adopt vigilance and carry out background checks before accepting any job offers made through WhatsApp or phone calls.

"Offenders will usually invite victims to a hotel, residence or guesthouse for an interview therefore, women should be alert. In case a woman is stuck in a dangerous situation, she should immediately contact Police 15," said Naqvi.