An unspeakable crime: Woman with disabilities pregnant after being raped

HARIPUR:

Not even taking into consideration the fact that she had physical disabilities, a man in his 60s allegedly repeatedly raped a 25-year-old deaf and mute woman in a remote village of Sera-e-Nehmat Khan union council, Haripur. Now the victim is about to become the mother of his child, police said on Tuesday.

They added the suspect, identified as former taxi driver Zardad, was arrested on Tuesday morning. Police quoted Muhammad Afsar, a resident of Talhad village, as saying that his daughter Azra Bibi* could not speak or hear from birth. However, she was otherwise physically active and helped her mother with household chores and looked after the cattle.

Afsar said Azra Bibi would take the goats to the hilly region of the village for grazing on a daily basis. The complainant recalled that a woman from the same village asked the victim’s mother to stop sending her out with the goats as she saw a man dragging her into the bushes on four occasions and raping her.

The mother then asked her daughter who confirmed these claims by communicating through sign language.

Asfar added that a medical report proved that Bibi was two months into her pregnancy. He consequently lodged an FIR against Zardad.

Police said a criminal case under Section 376 of the PPC has been registered against the suspect who is in police custody for further investigation.

*NAME CHANGED TO PROTECT PRIVACY

Published in The Express Tribune, April 22^nd, 2015.