Sahil, an organisation working for the protection of children’s rights, has released a Six Month Cruel Numbers data revealing that a total of 1,630 cases of child abuse were reported from across the country.
The data sheds light on the first six months of 2024, with 862 cases of child sexual abuse, 668 cases of abduction, 82 cases of missing children, 18 cases of child marriages, and 48 cases of pornography after sexual abuse were reported.
The data also shows that out of the total reported cases, (962) 59 percent of victims were girls and (668) 41 percent were boys.
About 81 daily national and regional newspapers were monitored from January to June 2024 to collect data on child sexual abuse, abduction, missing children and cases of early marriages. The areas include the four provinces along with the Islamabad Capital Territory (ICT), Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), and Gilgit Baltistan (GB).
The data shows that the most vulnerable age group remains children aged 6-15, with 693 cases reported in this bracket. Additionally, 94 cases involved children aged 0-5, 231 children were from the 16-18 age bracket, and in 612 cases, the age of the victims was not mentioned.
In the year 2024, January-June, the abusers involved in 47pc of the total cases were acquaintances, 18pc were strangers, while in 9pc acquaintances along with strangers committed crimes against children.
In the first six months of 2024, 78pc of the total cases were reported from Punjab and 6pc from the ICT. The rest of the cases were reported from other provinces including 11pc cases from Sindh, 3pc cases from KP, and 2pc cases from Balochistan, AJK and GB.
Out of the total reported cases, 44pc were from urban areas and 56pc were from rural areas.
Cases of violence against women
In the first six months of the year, violence against women, Sahil observed that a total number of 1,732 cases were reported, which included different forms of violence such as murder, suicide, abduction, rape, honour killing and torture.
Sahil’s objective
Sahil is working on child protection with special focus on child sexual abuse since 1996.
It aims to develop a protective environment free from all forms of violence for children, especially child sexual abuse.
It also provides legal, emotional and psychological support to the victims.
A female farm worker was gang-raped by two unidentified armed suspects in front of her husband during a robbery near Arifwala.
The farm is owned by Muhammad Aslam who lives with wife and children while his farm workers reside in the staff quarters of the farmhouse along with their families.
The unfortunate incident happened on the night between Wednesday and Thursday when the two armed robbers woke up the residents of the house, seized their mobile phones and locked all the men, women, and children in one of the rooms.
The robbers took a worker’s wife with them to lead them to cash and other valuables in the house, but the woman resisted. The suspects assaulted her and locked her in another room.
After completing the robbery, the suspects raped the worker’s wife while forcing him to watch.
The police registered a case on the complaint of Muhammad Aslam.
The robbers escaped with 50,000 cash, a motorcycle and two fertilizer bags, as per the FIR registered by the victims. The robbers reportedly threw the mobile phones near the farmhouse.
Dawn reports that Saddar Police Arifwala conducted a forensic analysis of the crime scene and took the gang-rape victim to THQ hospital, where a medical report confirmed rape.
DNA samples have been collected.
District Police Officer Tariq Walayat sent an investigation team, headed by SP Investigation Shahida Noreen, to investigate the matter.
Previously, a woman was gang-raped in Hafizabad in front of her husband and three-year-old daughter.
Television host Ayesha Jahanzeb’s daughter has denied media reports of her reconciliation with her husband Haris Ali. In a social media post reshared by Ayesha, she said that her mother is filing for ‘khula’, likely ending the marriage. The news came nine days after she filed a high-profile case of domestic abuse against her husband.
Earlier, Samaa’s Arshad Ali reported that Ayesha and her husband reached a reconciliation agreement during the most recent court hearing.
Shedding light on the proceedings in the court, Samaa reported that the court asked the television anchor if she agreed to reconcile voluntarily, to which she affirmed her consent, stating that she is reconciling of her own free will. “Whatever happened was torture and should not happen to any woman,” she said in court. Ayesha wholeheartedly accepted the judge’s decision, stating, “Whatever decision the honourable judges have made, I accept it.” Ayesha Jahenzeb told the court that she had decided not to pursue the case further and affirmed that it was finalized in the presence of witnesses. Thus, the court granted bail to the suspect, Haris.
As the news spread, Ayesha’s eldest daughter, Zoha Touqeer, posted on her Instagram story that “no charges were pressed for the betterment of kids”. She denied any reconciliation attempt and informed that Khula has been filed because violence is unacceptable.
Ayesha reposted the story and wrote a detailed caption on her wall regarding her recovery. “Victim blaming is the easiest possible solution to any situation but delving into the pain every single day not being able to look at yourself everyday is a reality” she wrote.
Previously, Ayesha had told The Current that her husband is using his influence in the police and judiciary to pressure her.
On July 10, Ayesha Jahanzeb’s husband was arrested on charges of assault.
Ayesha registered a case against her husband in which she accused him of perpetrating domestic violence upon her. She stated in the FIR that since January this year, her husband, whom she married in 2015, had started beating her and their children, but she did not raise noise for the sake of maintaining the sanctity of their relationship. Haris is always suspicious and has beaten her many times since the first incident, she said in her statement.
He also beat her on the June 24 last month, “dragging her by her hair and beating her with kicks and punches’, causing injuries, according to the FIR.
Television host Ayesha Jahanzeb has accused her husband, Haris Ali, of assaulting her in what is fast becoming a high-profile case of domestic violence.
Police arrested Haris, after which he was released by the police in Lahore’s Cantt court.
The judicial magistrate granted a two-day physical remand, handing Haris over to the police for further investigation.
Ayesha Jahanzeb had registered a case against her husband in which she accused him of perpetrating domestic violence upon her. She stated in the FIR that since January this year, her husband, whom she married in 2015, had started beating her and their children, but she did not raise noise for the sake of maintaining the sanctity of their relationship. Haris is always suspicious and has beaten her many times since the first incident, she said in her statement.
He also beat her on the June 24 last month, “dragging her by her hair and beating her with kicks and punches’, causing injuries, according to the FIR.
UrduNews revealed details of the FIR in their report: Ayesha’s husband beat her once again on July 8 in the afternoon, dragged her to the gate took out pistols and pointed them at her shoulders.
She has also submitted photographs to the police station which show her with lacerations and bruises on the face.
Chief Minister Maryam Nawaz Sharif has asked for a report from the Inspector General Punjab Police, Dr Usman Anwer. She also issued a directive to provide best medical facilities to Ayesha.
A woman was beaten to death by her in-laws when she took a long time to cook food in Kot Sultan village Korywali, Layyah, reports Dawn.
Parveen Bibi’s husband, Muhammad Yusuf, along with his brothers Muhammad Ejaz, Muhammad Younis, and Nadar, allegedly assaulted her for the delay in the preparation of food.
Local police in Kot Sultan have registered a murder case on the complaint of Abdul Majeed, the uncle of the victim, Parveen.
FIR states that the suspects severely beat Parveen Bibi with sticks until she fell unconscious. Seeing the gravity of injuries, she was shifted from the tehsil headquarters hospital to the district headquarters hospital and then to Nishtar Hospital in Multan, where she succumbed to her injuries.
Complainant Majeed said an autopsy was conducted after her death.
Layyah District Police Officer Asadur Rehman claimed that the suspects would be arrested, saying violence against women will not be tolerated and a special team has been formed to investigate the case.
A tenth standard student was brutally murdered by her 32-year-old fiancé in Karnataka, India. The man cut off the victim’s head and threw away her body right outside her home.
The victim was identified as 15-year-old Meena, a tenth-grade student of High School who had passed the board examination recently. She was brutally murdered by the accused Onkarappa (Papu), a resident of the village because their engagement was called off.
The accused allegedly dragged the victim out of her house on Thursday night and massacred her in front of her parents. The incident has been registered at the police station.
Journalist Muhammad Zubair from ALT news posted on X that the incident is not being given coverage because elections in Karnataka are over and the suspect is not a Muslim.
A class 10 girl was brutally murdered by 32 year old man Prakash in Kodagu District of Karnataka after marriage was called off. He dragged the victim out of her house and murdered the girl in front of her parents. The man cut off the victim’s head, threw away her body and flees… pic.twitter.com/MZp8TEAjX9
January 20 marked the date when a landmark verdict from a session court in Karachi changed the landscape of the judicial approach in terms of intimate partner violence.
It has been precisely two weeks since the court announced in “The State vs Javed” that the “ocular version is also supported by the medical evidence which shows that the victim was a habitual passive agent of sodomy.” Sher Bano from Karachi lodged a complaint against her husband Javed at the police station about him subjecting her to sodomy despite her attempts to stop her. About two months after their marriage, she informed her mother-in-law, who didn’t say anything to him, she said, adding that then she disclosed her ordeal to her sister and brother, after which she lodged an FIR against her husband on November 23, 2022.
Garnering a fierce debate online, this also raised a couple of questions in my mind. If this was a case of sodomy, then why is it dubbed as a marital rape? Or are they both linked? I contacted Barrister Haya Zahid from the Legal Aid Society to hear her explain the legal complexities around these terms. Haya was welcoming and answered all my questions which helped me shape this article. Legal Aid Society has now been working for the last one decade. It started as a free legal aid clinic for the marginalized sections of society, especially women and children, and has now spread all over Sindh. In the last few years, they have proceeded with over a hundred cases of sexual violence, most including charges of sodomy and rape.
Haya’s works mostly surround policy and reform. Staying true to the mission statement to connect vulnerable and disempowered end users of justice with effective and expedient services for the delivery of justice, she runs the legal aid clinic efficiently and effectively. Her team includes 33 lawyers providing free services across Sindh. For instance, she is working on Fatima from Ranipur’s case, and her team is documenting the delays and lapses of the legal system. Apart from compiling research-based data, they are training judges and prosecutors. They even assist prosecutors, as they did in The State vs Javed case, Advocate Behzad Akbar from Legal Aid Society was writing arguments for the public prosecutor because they must proceed as sexual violence is a crime against the state. They train prosecutors for such cases, helping them in preparing the case.
“The reason we are all very excited is that in the current scenario in Pakistan, intimate partner violence is more common than rapes conducted by strangers” she started by setting the premise. “Spousal sexual abuse is physically and mentally more damaging. Women usually have tended to remain silent. According to our records, they come to our legal aid office to find out what they can do and most of them opt to tread the path of obtaining ‘khula’ which is accompanied by economic disadvantages. The majority of them do not pursue cases for protection against domestic violence let alone speaking about the intimate partner violence that they go through.”
Haya made it a point to mention that most of their clients of sodomy have been male children. Their parents feel less stigmatized in fighting for justice compared to the parents of female children. Sher Bano’s plea was refreshing in a way that she very soon left her husband after the marriage, informed her family about what she had to face and that this is not normal and fought the good fight. She put up with all the medical and legal requirements and despite certain minor discrepancies in her testimony, the judge had to take a broader approach as the claims were substantiated.
The State vs Javed
In the case the victim Sher Bano filed a case against her husband after approximately four months of marriage because he used to commit oral and anal sex despite her disapproval. She confided in her mother-in-law but was ignored. She eventually took the matter home, consulted a doctor and with the support of her family, lodged an FIR against her husband. She remained steadfast during the trial as the husband and his sisters accused her of being in love with someone else and therefore wrongly blamed his husband for sodomizing her. They even tried to use piles, which she suffered from, as an excuse to prove her claim wrong. Her grit is as Haya said, “music to the ears” because she emerged victorious.
What is Marital Rape in Pakistan’s constitution?
High Court Advocate Nimra Arshad in an explainer recorded by Dawn News sheds light on the term. There is still no such term as Marital Rape defined by the law but after the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2021, the definition of rape was broadened in Article 375 of Pakistan Penal Code. Previously, the implication of the law was that rape is when a man has non-consensual sex with a woman who is not his wife but now the definition involves non-consensual sex between a man and a woman irrespective of what relation they share.
The punishment is laid out in Article 376 of PPC which can be a death sentence or life imprisonment for 10-25 years.
Criticism over three-year punishment
Barrister Haya Zahid explained that rape has more punishment in law as compared to sodomy. Because the primary abuse in this case, proven in front of the court, is sodomy, the case proceeded in line with the Criminal Law Amendment Act 2021. This law is pivotal in this case as the definition of rape was totally reformed in this amendment and was hence used in this case. According to an amendment in article 375, a person is said to have committed rape if the person penetrates his penis, inserts, or manipulates any object or part of the body to any extent into the vagina, mouth, urethra or anus of another person against their will, without consent, or consent being taken with coercion. Considering this a case of sodomy, it was still treated as marital rape because the victim was in a spousal relation with the offender and their marriage was intact when she filed the case. Resultantly, the court declared that the accused was not able to prove his point of any personal enmity that the victim (the wife) had an affair with somebody else and therefore, she implicated him falsely. “The prosecution has, thus succeeded in proving the charge against the accused only under section 377 Pakistan Penal Code beyond a reasonable shadow of doubt, therefore this point is answered accordingly,” the final verdict declared.
“This has become a seminal case where conviction of a spouse took place for sexual abuse,” Haya said enthusiastically.
They can recontest the conviction of three years which is much less than that of rape, but this may damage the case as it would be put to trial again and because the victim has gone through a lot, this will be draining for her too.
Response over conviction
Social media is mostly celebrating the verdict. BOL Network contacted LAS, and Advocate Safia Lakho represented them in their morning session where she not only explained the proceedings of the case but explained how this case will be a trailblazer in the legal history of Pakistan. “So many women, oblivious of the law itself, silently enduring the pain daily, have got to know about their rights through this judgment and it is a great achievement indeed,” she said.
However, some critics are saying this is not a case of marital rape, this is sodomy. Haya reinstated, “The definition of rape has changed as per law; this is rape happening in the context of a spousal relationship which is the highest form of intimate partner violence that there can be. We are acknowledging it as the first ever conviction of marital rape under the changed definition of rape which is in place since 2021”.
Interpretation of the verdict in the Islamic context
To understand the popular claims and interpretations used by the masses to either condemn or appreciate the conviction of marital rape I talked to multiple scholars including Mufti Mohammad Sohail Ahmad who is an MPhil in Usool-e-Din (Principles of Religion) from International Islamic University, Islamabad, now serving in Nottingham, UK. He delineated the basic principles as laid by the main text of the Qur’an: In Islamic schools of thought, there are two ways to go about it: Hadd and Tazir.
Hadd is equivalent to a death sentence, implying that strict action needs to be taken for the severity of the crime. Tazir on the other hand is a punishment for an offence that is culpable, and this is to be decided by the ruler or a judge according to the severity of the crime. It is strongly impermissible for a man to have sexual intercourse with his wife when she is menstruating. The other thing that is frowned upon by the laws of Islam is sodomy or unnatural sex- a crime strongly punishable by Islam.
Three-quarters of Islamic schools of thought consider Hadd to be implemented in cases of sodomy.
Image taken from @_Abdullah_Salehon X
The other scholar I consulted was Dr. Fazal-e-Hannan who is a PhD from Punjab University, Lahore and is serving as Sheik-ul-Hadith in Jamia Nazamia, Lahore. The unanimous response lays out the condemnation of the act of sodomy and applause for the verdict of the court. “It is good precedent set by the court,” Mufti Sohil Ahmad asserted, “making most of the latest medical and technological advancement to identify these crimes is a welcome change in Pakistan.”
As for the fact of a man forcing himself over his wife and inflicting pain upon her, they agreed that it is liable for a punishment. Islam stresses that husbands ought to be kind and considerate about the emotional, mental, and physical state of the wife. Allah says, “and live with them in kindness” [Quran 4:19] It is even stressed by the Prophet (SAW) as he said: “Be kind to your wives.” [Al-Bukhari and Muslim].
Javed Ahmed Ghamidi, in one of his lectures, emphasized that the relationship of a husband and wife is mutual and there is no other opinion about it.
However, the bottom line is that there are protocols of Islam that need to be followed for sexual intimacy. If violated, then needs to be dealt with accordingly.
Repudiation of implied consent theory
Advocate Nimra Arshad in her explainer describes that many people use religion to describe their chauvinistic views about the concept of marital rape whereas Islam is the same religion which provides women the protection, kindness and care they deserve in a marriage and if that is not given, there is a reasonable exit available too.
Pakistan’s law is essentially an extension of British law as proposed by Sir Matthew Hale who believed that a marriage perpetually gives man consent to treat his wife as a property. This implied consent theory is long been amended in the UK under Sexual Offences Act 2003 where spousal rape now falls under sexual assault, but the remnants of that law are very much intact in our country.
Final thoughts
Sher Bano has paved the way for women to not submit to unjust and violent behaviour in the name of marriage. This case also highlights the importance of support of the family which makes a woman invincible, especially in a society like ours. As much as raising awareness is the duty of the state, it is equally a compulsion for it to ensure the safety of citizens by making pertinent, pragmatic, and bold laws. Not recognizing marital rape as the highest form of intimate partner violence is a fact that remains in place till today.
The burnt body of a married young woman was found in her father’s furniture showroom in Gujranwala, reports Geo News.
While the reason for the murder is unknown as yet, the husband of the victim is absconding and according to the preliminary investigation of the police, he is the prime suspect.
According to further details, 24-year-old Maryam, a resident of Dhariwal, was first married to her cousin. After the marriage ended in a divorce, Maryam’s second marriage took place with Sajid, a resident of Kot Ishaq.
Sajid and Maryam used to fight often. About six months ago, Maryam’s parents brought their daughter and son-in-law to their village and offered them a room adjacent to her father’s furniture showroom to live in.
Maryam’s father told the police that he had gone to a nearby mosque for Fajr prayers in the morning and came back to see the burnt body.
The police say that the search for the woman’s husband is going on.
A young girl has complained of being sexually assaulted and blackmailed by two male teachers at Ghazi University in Dera Ghazi Khan.
The details of the incident were shared by Geo News on Tuesday, after a video of the victim started circulating on social media. In the video, the girl states the names of two physics teachers from her university, who “kept her in the hostel with them overnight”.
She added that the suspects are now blackmailing her younger sister and if action is not taken against them, she would self-immolate.
Later the university responded to the video, clarifying that the case is four months old and the suspects have been suspended. The university further added that the video statement is now being used by those teachers in the university against whom inquiries are going on for malpractice cases on campus. This video has been made viral by them, at a time when admissions are on the rise to tarnish the reputation of the university, the statement claimed.
The university also shared an image of an official notice, dated May 5, 2023, which stated that the two implicated professors, Dr. Zafar Wazir and Dr. Khalid Mehmood Ur Rehman, have been suspended from their duties.
سوشل میڈیا ایک طالبہ کی طرف سے وائرل ویڈیو کے حوالے سے تمام لوگوں کو آگاہ کیا جاتا ہے کہ یہ ویڈیو 4 ماہ پرانی ہے اور اس طالبہ کی درخواست پر بر وقت کاروائی کر کے انکوائری کی گئی جس کے نتیجہ میں متعلقہ اساتذہ کو معطل کر دیا گیا تھا۔ 1/3 pic.twitter.com/6hS9jTJ1BO
In a disturbing incident in Ujjain city, Madhya Pradesh, India, a Muslim woman, who is a physiotherapist by profession, fell victim to a heinous assault and molestation by a group of men while she was on her way home, Dawn has reported on Monday.
According to local media reports, the incident occurred on Friday, and the suspects allegedly tried to molest her. When she bravely resisted, the attackers resorted to physical violence, subjecting her to a brutal beating. Notably, the girl’s cousin, who rushed to her aid, was also attacked by the assailants.
Shocking footage of the incident has circulated on social media, showing the attackers using iron rods and bats to assault the victim’s cousin.
Outraged by the appalling act, members of the Muslim community and local Congress party lawmaker Noori Khan took to the streets and staged a sit-in protest outside the Ujjain SP office, demanding justice for the victims and stringent action against the perpetrators.
Noori Khan expressed her deep concern and empathy for the victim after visiting her at the Ujjain Civil Hospital, where she is currently undergoing treatment for her injuries. Ms. Khan took to Twitter, stating that the victim’s agony and the disturbing sequence of events have left her shocked.
Adding further details to the incident, the victim herself took to her Twitter account and revealed that five men were involved in the brutal attack.
Law enforcement authorities have been urged to take prompt action in identifying and apprehending the culprits to deliver justice to the victims and send a strong message against such heinous crimes.
The incident has also sparked conversations on social media platforms, with netizens coming together to condemn the act and call for measures to ensure the safety of women in public spaces.
As the investigation continues, the victims and their families await justice, while the incident serves as a stark reminder of the urgent need for collective efforts to eradicate violence against women and create a safer environment for all citizens.
