Vulnerable: Rape and harassment lead to attempted suicides
Unable to bear the humiliation of being a rape victim, Samina Bibi* decided to kill herself by ingesting anti-rodent in the outskirts of Haripur, here on Thursday.
The 25-year-old wife of an industrial worker was alone at home, when two men from the same locality broke into the house and raped her four days ago. She called her husband and lodged a complaint against the alleged attackers with the police. However, the police did not arrest the accused till Thursday.
When news of Samina’s rape spread and people taunted her, she consumed poison. “I am unable to live with the stigma of being a rape victim so I’ve decided to put an end to my life”, she said in a letter before consuming poison, family sources said. The woman was taken to the hospital where she was reportedly out of danger. The police arrested one of the rapists.
In a similar incident, a teenaged girl consumed sleeping pills after being harassed on the cell phone. However, she was rescued when her family rushed her to the hospital. Saeeda Bibi* said a man had been constantly teasing her.
After repeated requests I snubbed him but he threatened to blackmail me, she added. “I decided to kill myself as I did not want to expose my family to enmity."
Published in The Express Tribune, February 4th, 2012.
COMMENTS
Comments are moderated and generally will be posted if they are on-topic and not abusive.
For more information, please see our Comments FAQ