LAHORE:
The family of a 13-year-old girl who was allegedly raped by her principal might permanently end her education because they fear no school is safe.
The principal of the school on Chandari Road is in police custody for the rape of the class five student on November 27. A medical examination of the girl confirmed that she had been sexually assaulted.
Talking to The Express Tribune at her home, the child said she wanted to become a doctor, but some in her family did not want her to study further. “I want a higher education but my uncle said no. He said I should sit in the house,” she said.
Adil, her father, said that his older brother had advised him not to send the girl to any school. “Sending her to school will be the family’s decision,” he said, but added that he personally wanted her to get an education.
He said that his family was in shock over what had happened to her. “How can a man who teaches the Holy Quran do such a thing?” he said.
Meanwhile, residents of Kot Lakhpat near the school called for it to be shut down and for the owners to be prosecuted for putting children in harm’s way. Many of the students at the school have not been turning up for the last few days.
“They should close the school permanently,” said one parent. “What guarantee is there that this will not happen again?”
Omer, who lives near the school, said many families in the neighbourhood had stopped sending girls to school, even other schools, after the rape. “They fear that their daughters are not safe,” he said.
The accused principal was arrested at Bhatta Chowk on November 30. The victim’s parents said that he had called her to the school on a Sunday on the pretext of preparing students for board exams. She said that he had threatened to kill her if she reported the rape to her parents or the police.
Published in The Express Tribune, December 2nd, 2011.
COMMENTS (26)
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Rape is the worst human crime and shows the demonic moral state of the respective society. A crime of murder simply kills the human body and its over. But the crime of rape means, killing the soul and keeping the body alive like a wandering and a breathing corpse. Without a professional counselling, such victims can impossibly get rid of their traumatic experience/s.
The dark figures of rapes and sexual abuse in Pakistan is alarmingly high! The immense violence and a high rate of crimes in Pakistan, has its root causes in the repressive and sick sex moral values, coined from a man-made religion of stone ages. Violence and sexual abuse of children, girls, boys, women and khwaja siras is a normal part of the daily life of Pakistani macho culture which suffers a behavioural disorder.
I suggest the entire village take the matter into their own hands. All the parents in the village should get together, kidnap the pervert and beat him until he can't move, throw acid on him and set him on fire in public and this act of JUSTICE should be shown on every tv channel in the nation, so that all the perverts out there have something to fear. The police and government and judiciary are too lazy, insensitive and incompetent to do anything.
The victim here would suffer the trauma all her life.the social stigma of being the one who was raped and bringing bad name to her family.even other girls in the family and locality would bear the burnt
Focusing on the victim,as per research ill effects of child sexual abuse are wide ranging. There is no one set of symptoms or outcomes that victims experience. Some children even report little or no psychological distress from the abuse, but these children may be either afraid to express their true emotions or may be denying their feelings as a coping mechanism. Other children may have what is called "sleeper effects." They may experience no harm in the short run, but suffer serious problems later in life.
Disgusting. A teacher who is considered a father doing such criminal act deserves death penalty,What is happening in the country,
Now where are that mob who came out to protest Qadri's arrest? Will they ever come out to protest this?
Very very sad and heart-wrenching......I hope our government will take notice of this terrible incident and provide adequate counseling to the victim.
Very sad and heart breaking.
Every now and then we are getting news of females getting raped and young boys abused at seminaries by their mentors etc. We as a society should take a step forward in this regard, dont just shun away from the reality because its out there and it happening and it can happen to anyone anywhere. We need to bring sex education in the mainstream at the schools so that children can protect themselves from such persons and report if somebody makes such moves towards them. I can assure that many a times cases go unreported because a child is too scared to tell any one or is so mentally traumatised that he just dont have words to describe who did what to him and where. So its highly appropriate if we educate our children in this regard at schools. There are a number of NGOs who are working for the prevention of child abuse who i think should be called in for help in order to protect our children in the future. And lastly such monsters who commit these heinous crimes should be given such exemplary punishment that nobody can ever dare to commit such a thing again.
I might sound like a Mulla critic but I think the accused should be cut into pieces for his intolerable act. My heart bleeds for her, I urge the government, Judiciary and GHQ to consider this matter very seriously. Its not only about a 13 year old girl but the humanity.
its a every day happening in this islamic Republic of Pakistan, where these innocent lives are destroyed and scarred for life, we have to creat awareness to the massess about the abuse which these children go through and at times it is unnoticed and not reported. we all should make a platform togather and help these kids/ girls and make the parents aware about the psychological aspect of such trauma.This man should be stonned to death in public so that the next person would think twice before doing such an insult to any child.
This is probably just one case in many that has been reported. In a society where families consider talking about sex a taboo, it is even more difficult to create awareness of sexual abuse in children. It is horrific to think that we live in a country where children have to be denied the basic right of education because of the inexplicably sickening actions of such child molesters....and they go free.
Very sad new I am deeply hurt, All those involved must be given a punishment which become lesson for all.
start giving punishments on roads for rape gulity.it will definitely help the cause.kill him front of people . 7 years in jail is not enough . punishment of child abuse must b more thn simple rape
already female literacy is practically nil in pakistan.... way to go @#$% principal, not only did u ruin a little girls life (doubly so, because the victim is always abused in pakistan) but also by ruining the induction of females to schools!
She should definitely complete her education -- If only the reporter could ask the parents to send the kid to one of 'The Citizens Foundation' school-- the closest TCF school will be in Pind Warraich. The parents can go & ensure themselves of the security & quality education.
death sentence for the man
The school principal taught the Holy Quran?? Secondly, I don't know why people think that somebody who goes through the holy Quran can no longer be evil. This man deserves the worst!
Very unfortunate incident.Those involved in such henios crimes should be tried in summary courts and given examplery punishments in front of parents.
Just hang to him. . .
That person must me punished who have destroyed image of a teaching profession. People feel insecure about their kids.
sad to read this terrible news!
:( so sad.That school must be closed. But that girl should get her education to fulfill her dream.Government should help her in this critical situation.
why is that in our society,it's the rape victim that pays the price,it's the rape victim that society targets for abuse,gossip and humiliation.the rapist men get away scott free,their wives don't divorce them,their parents don't disown them.But our men don't want to marry a rape victim.this cavemen,animalistic mentality of the males in our society is one of the reasons why women have been confined to rot away at home behind the chaar diwari. it should have been the paedophile principal who should have had his life ruined because of this,not the other way around.
this is not a rape case,it's a paedophilia rape case.why is our society so deeply in denial over paedophilia?