Prime Minister Imran Khan on Sunday held an interactive session with the general public via phone calls in which he answered their questions and responded to their concerns.
During the session, while responding to a question about what the federal government is doing to curb the recent surge of rape cases and sexual violence especially against children, PM Khan instead of laying out his government’s plans blamed the rising cases on vulgarity.
“Purda ka hukm isi liye ha”
No! ‘Parda’ ka hukm is liye nahi hai! Purda was NEVER meant to avert temptation.
Quran says that no one will be answerable for another person’s sins. The idea that women hide themselves up so that men don’t commit any sin is against Quranic values. pic.twitter.com/2oBBcNiMF9
The premier’s comments caused an uproar on social media, prompting Pakistanis to not only bust myths related to rape but also call him out for his insensitive remarks. Some even shared their own personal experiences to make it more clear that why rape happens and why it is never okay to blame the victim.
Repeat after me.
The only one to be blamed for rape of a woman is “ The Rapist”.
In Sept 2020, I had to sit through a torturous hearing of a 20 yr old woman raped repeatedly by her own blood father for 8 years in Karachi East District and Sessions Court.
Pray tell more, how rape is about sexual desires of men towards children, that too their own.
— Zuhaib Ahmed Pirzada (@zuhaib_pirzada) April 5, 2021
To anyone channeling Prime Minister Imran Khan and thinking rape is because of ‘fahaashi’ or lack of ‘pardah’. No, rape is: NOT the woman’s fault, NOT because she was wearing less clothes and so she ‘asked for it’,
Dear @ImranKhanPTI rape is a result of power imbalance not temptation. Rapists control their urges when they’ve fear of retribution, accountability & conviction and when they’re made free from such fears due to gendered social structures just like ours they’ll even rape an infant
So easy to blame women and their pardah for fahashi, but don’t actually hold men accountable for being sexual perverts. @ImranKhanPTI – it’s not acceptable to victim blame almost 50% of your nation. Just not acceptable. https://t.co/tDcIOLumNq
Study found that “most convicted rapists could not remember what their victims were wearing.”
“In one study, 1 in 3 college men said that they would force someone to have sex if they could get away with it, and that has nothing to do with clothing.”https://t.co/EUbmz5nPJX
Still pushing the “rape happens because women show skin” discourse is sooooo lazy. Really, dude? After all the work, the research, the campaigns, the flipping logic, this is the conclusion you draw? Exercise some of that brain lard and then maybe we can actually talk solutions.
This is so common! It happens 2 school going girls, women.All of us. Using public transport/walking streets I wear my knapsack upfront. Its a shame. These streets belong 2 women as well. It will take persistence /perseverance 2 break this mould of self entitled toxic masculinity https://t.co/tjrSNzRAdP
A woman’s body belongs 2 her. Our bodies are sensitive & often women themselves are not given the mental freedom 2 understand how amazing & intricate our bodies are. No man has the right 2 force himself upon you. If you feel unheard, unseen, trapped & disrespected, find support
Ahsan Khan is demanding justice for three-year-old Hareem Fatima, who was brutally murdered after being sexually assaulted in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa (KP)’s Kohat district. According to reports, Fatima’s father lodged a complaint with the police stating that Hareem went out to play with other children but unfortunately did not return.
“Another Twitter trend, another baby girl, another rape, another family destroyed. Another story,” said Ahsan. “Would be remembered for few days and forgotten.”
“We always talk about upbringing and protection of our daughters, maybe it’s time for us to stress on raising our sons right,” said the actor further, stressing on the importance of educating children.
“The Kohat incident is a reflection of our failure as a society,” he added.
Despite the introduction of an Anti-Rape Ordinance by the government, rape cases continue to rise in the country. The Current is maintaining a daily tally of cases and the numbers are alarming.
According to areport published by a child protection NGO Sahil, at least 173 children were gang-raped in Pakistan in the first six months of 2020, whereas there were 227 reports of attempted sexual assault.
Faysal Quraishi has said that rape is a stigma for perpetrators, not the victims.
In a tweet, the actor said: “In light of recent news regarding a couple that kidnapped young girls, raped and recorded this heinous act – only one came forward and 45 didn’t for fear of society and stigma.”
“Humari society apna qibla sahi karay, stigma perpetrator kay liye and victim kay liye support honi chaiyae,” he added.
In light of recent news regarding a couple that kidnapped young girls, raped and recorded this heinous act -only 1 came forward and 45 didnt for fear of society and stigma.Humari society apna qibla sahi karay,stigma perpetrator kay liyae and victim kay liyae support honi chaiyae
According to details, a local court has convicted a couple from Rawalpindi for luring girls and filming their rape to blackmail them. They were arrested in 2019.
راولپنڈی پولیس کی اہم کامیابی، طالبہ کے اغواء، زیادتی اور ویڈیو بنانے کے مقدمہ میں ملوث ملزمان میاں بیوی کو معزز عدالت نے جرم ثابت ہونے سزا سنا دی۔ مجرم قاسم جہانگیرکو سزائے موت، عمرقید، 03سال قید اور جرمانہ جبکہ مجرمہ کرن محمود کو عمرقید، 03سال قید اور جرمانے کی سزا سنائی گئی۔ pic.twitter.com/mtmYWLlBd6
Additional District and Sessions Judge Jahangir Gondal awarded a death sentence to Qasim Jahangir over rape and recording explicit videos. Jahangir was also given a three-year prison sentence in addition to a life sentence and has to pay a fine of Rs2.5 million. His wife Kiran Mahmood has also been sentenced to life and has to pay a fine.
The couple was tracked and arrested following a complaint lodged by a girl with the CPO Rawalpindi.
According to the police, the girl, who was a student of MSc, in her statement said that the couple lured her into their car and took her to a house where she was raped and filmed. She shared that she was coming out of her college when a masked woman came to her and started talking to her. After introducing herself as a student at a local girls’ college, the two went for a walk before a car stopped near them and asked the two women to sit inside. The masked woman introduced the driver as her close relative and asked her to sit in the car.
As soon as the girl was inside the car, black curtains were drawn and the car was taken to a house located in Gulistan Colony, where the accused raped her at gunpoint, while his wife filmed the scene.
City Police Officer (CPO) Muhammad Faisal Rana said the couple had confessed to raping as many as 45 minors and filming their rape.
The Lahore High Court has declared “two finger test and hymen test carried out for the purposes of ascertaining the virginity of a female victim of rape or sexual abuse” discriminatory and against the constitution of Pakistan.
In a ruling issued in response to a plea filed by women activists seeking a ban on the discriminatory practice, the court said: “It is declared that two finger test and the hymen test carried out for the purposes of ascertaining the virginity of a female victim of rape or sexual abuse is unscientific having no medical basis, therefore it has no forensic value in cases of sexual violence.”
The plea had argued that the virginity tests are “neither necessary nor reliable or relevant for the purpose of investigation into the incident of rape or sexual abuse”.
The court said the test “offends the personal dignity of the female victim and therefore is against the right to life and right to dignity enshrined in Article 9 and 14 of the constitution”. It further said the hymen test also discriminates against women as it is carried out on the basis of gender.
The judgement written by Justice Ayesha Malik noted that the hymen test can be carried if it is “warranted medically or for treatment purposes” and the medical officer must “stipulate the reasons” for carrying out this test.
In a reference to a recent anti-rape ordinance by the federal government, the court said: “Notwithstanding the promulgation of 2020 Ordinance which specifically prohibits the two finger test by way of Section 13, the federal government has taken no steps to enforce the requirements of the 2020 Ordinance or any steps to create awareness and training in order to change the habits of the medico-legal officers in carrying out the virginity test.”
It said the practice is ingrained in the processes of the medico-legal examination which cannot be ended without proper training and awareness. According to the LHC, the federation and provincial government should take necessary steps to ensure that virginity tests are not carried out in medicolegal examination of the victims of rape and sexual abuse.
The federal cabinet has approved a law that proposes chemical castration as a punishment for convicted rapists.
In a meeting chaired by Prime Minister Imran Khan on Tuesday, the Ministry of Law and Justice presented a draft of an anti-rape ordinance. The draft proposes a fast-track trial in rape cases, effective involvement of women in matters pertaining to gender-based violence, maintaining a database of serial rapists, and witness protection.
During the meeting, the prime minister said the government will not tolerate any lax attitude in the implementation of anti-rape laws and added that the safety of all citizens was the utmost priority of the government. The premier said the legislation will be clear and transparent with strict enforcement. He said the rape survivors will be able to register complaints without fear, adding that the government will protect their identity.
During the meeting, some ministers also proposed public hanging for rapists, but the premier postponed this suggestion for another time.
According to PM’s aide Senator Faisal Javed, the government needs to bring tougher laws to curb crimes against women. He said the new proposed legislation will be presented before parliament for approval.
It may be noted here that Pakistan reported over 120 rapes from Oct 12 to Nov 24, according to a tally kept by The Current. Legal experts say that the rape conviction rate in Pakistan can be as low as 2 per cent, so instead of bringing harsher punishments, the government must focus on strengthening its criminal justice system to punish such crimes.
From Oct 12-Nov 24: 123 rape cases and 11 death
“The conviction rate drops even lower in cases where a minor has been raped. That is one of the reasons that rape is rarely reported,” the experts observed. They blamed social stigma attached to sex crimes and the ‘abhorrently misogynistic attitude’ of many police officials for the underreporting of rape cases.
A policeman was reportedly arrested on Monday after a case was registered against him for allegedly raping a female dancer at a hotel in Lahore on gunpoint.
According to a first information report (FIR) filed at the city’s Garden Town police station, the stage actress has alleged that a constable named Kabir hired her for a dance function and took her to a hotel where she was raped at gunpoint.
Inspector General Police (IGP) Punjab Inam Ghani has taken notice of the incident and directed CCPO Lahore to submit a report in this regard.
The IGP also ordered departmental and legal action.
https://youtu.be/CrLNb129wWg
It is pertinent to mention here that the victim had lodged a similar case against a man named Adil at Changa Manga police station a year ago.
The gang-rape of a woman on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway has sparked nationwide outrage, with countless protests being organised across the country to demand justice for the victim and safe space for women in the country. Members of the Pakistani Entertainment Industry also took the initiative of organising a peaceful protest outside the Karachi Press Club to raise their voice on the matter and give it more momentum.
Among those present at the occasion was Mahira Khan, Sarah Khan, Ayesha Omar, Adnan Siddiqui, Ali Rehman Khan, Aijaz Aslam, Frieha Altaf, Bushra Ansari, Sarwat Gilani, Yasir Hussain, Asim Jofa, Anoushey Abbasi and Gul-e-Rana.
Sharing pictures from the event, Mahira said: “We demand a secure nation for all women! At home, on the streets, at work, alone, not alone, with kids, without kids, in a skirt or in a burkha. Wherever she may be, whoever she may be – we demand basic rights of safety.”
Holding a placard, which read “Real men don’t rape”, Sarah Khan said: “No mercy for rapists.”
Sarwat Gilani said that the entertainment fraternity came out to “demand justice and security for our women and children”. Sarwat also lauded Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision to punish rapists with castration — the process of removal of testicles of a man.
We stand together as one voice,” said Ali Rehman. “One voice to demand the protection of our women, children and transgenders. One voice to demand their freedom. “We stand together.”
Aijaz Aslam held a placard which read: “Stop rape”.
Mansha Pasha said she stepped out after a long time to “join a protest and speak about the state of women’s safety in Pakistan and the fact that there is none.”
“We aren’t safe on the street, at work or even in our homes,” she added.
“Rape happens because of: 1) Rapist; 2) Failure of law enforcement agencies,” asserted Mansha.
Yasir Hussain and Adnan Siddiqui addressed the protesters gathered at the venue.
Bushra Ansari stood by her earlier stance, saying that hanging the rapist is not enough.
According to details, the protest was organised by Yasir Hussain, Frieha Altaf and Asim Jofa.
Meanwhile, some social media users are criticising the actors for holding a separate protest instead of attending the main one organised by the Aurat March.
Glad to see that celebrities protested today but it would be more helpful to have consolidated efforts. A massive protest took place on Saturday outside Karachi Press Club. Celebrities should’ve thrown their weight behind that instead of keeping a separate protest for themselves
I really want to believe their hearts are in the right place, but wtf? This is cringe-worthy. And can someone explain why the celebrities felt the need to have their own protest against #motorwayincident vs getting more support for the first one? pic.twitter.com/Ezjwpu2opU
Sarwat later clarified that a second protest was held because “a lot of celebrities were busy with work on the first protest’s date, [so] we decided to get out a day when most of us were available.”
Child protection NGO Sahil, in a reportCruel Number released on Thursday, revealed that at least 173 children were gang-raped in Pakistan in the first six months of 2020, whereas there were 227 reports of attempted sexual assault.
According to the report, 38 children were killed after they were sexually abused. More than eight children were subjected to sexual abuse on average every day in the first six months of 2020 in Pakistan.
Sahil reported that as of June this year, 497 children were sexually abused. 57% of cases were reported in Punjab, 32% were reported in Sindh and 6% in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.
The report further said that more than 35 cases were reported in Islamabad, 22 in Balochistan, 10 in Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and one in Gilgit-Baltistan.
Out of the total reported cases, 62% were from rural areas and 38% reported from urban areas. Of the total children who were victims of sexual abuse, 53% were girls and 47% boys.
Sahil also highlighted that 51 cases of underage marriage were reported.
The results were taken from 84 newspapers and cases reported in all four provinces, the capital city, Azad Jammu and Kashmir, and Gilgit-Baltistan.
The brutal rape and torture of a 10-year-old student by a Madrassa teacher in Abbottabad’s Mansehra sparked national outrage.
One of Pakistan’s most vocal actors, Mahira Khan took to Twitter to voice her concern and demanded the authorities to “make an example out of these monsters.” In her tweet, she also tagged the Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari.
In response to her tweet, the minister said that the perpetrator has been arrested and that efforts are being made to prevent these horrendous crimes. She shared that the Zainab Alert Bill has been passed by the Standing Committee of Human Rights and that “much as we would like to simply catch these monsters and publicly punish them, the government has to go according to the law.”
She also revealed that a “holistic policy on child abuse” is being prepared on the direction of Prime Minister Imran Khan and “within two weeks it should be ready with all stakeholders being taken on board.”
Our Zainab Alert Bill has finally been passed by the Standing Comm & should be tabled in NA and then in Senate. Much as we would like to simply catch these monsters & publicly punish them, govt has to go acc to the law. But equally imp we need to PREVENT crime of child abuse.
And that requires society to unite and change mindsets at all levels incl recognising we have these monsters amongst us. We are now preparing a holistic policy on child abuse under PM’s directive and within two weeks it should be ready with all stakeholders being taken on board.
Mahira thanked the minister for her response and requested for more swift action to be taken again such issues. She also asserted that more noise should be made so that “a loud and clear message should go out to these predators.”
Thank you for responding Also a request – more swift action should be taken. More noise should be made about this. A loud and clear msg should go out to these predators. https://t.co/FQ4NJXqgyw
Other than Mahira, actor-activist Nadia Jamil has also been raising her voice on the matter of child sexual abuse.
Death 2 quick & easy a punishment for child rapists. Castrate them,lock them up. Let psychologists study their sick,hard minds 2 understand how we can prevent creating more monsters like them.May they suffer long & painfully. Like the 10 yr old child raped 100x till his eyes bled
In a report, done by the University College of Lahore, ‘Accountability for Rape: A case study of Lodhran’, the numbers show that rape cases in Punjab were staggeringly high in 2016-2017. The study is thorough and looks at court judgements to show how alleged rapists were acquitted. And a whole lot of them were set free.
Police submitted reports on more than 7,000 new rape cases during 2016-17, cases that had a verdict were more than 5,800. Out of the ones that were given a verdict, only 216 cases had a conviction.
The police did its job and submitted reports in more than 7,000 cases but only 216 were convicted.
The study revealed that major cities had more rape cases, as expected, but what was not expected was the amount of convictions in relation to the cities.
Lahore tops the list with the most amount of cases and the least amount of convictions
Lahore, Rahim Yar Khan and Bahawalpur had the highest number of rape incidents and a very low conviction rate. But
The highest number of contest acquittals was in Lodhran, which means that when the case went to trial, an acquittal took place when the judge decided that the prosecution had not proved that the defendant was guilty.
These areas were highlighted because the cases going to court were fewer than larger cities
The report also showed the cities with the lowest amount of cases with Mianwali and Jhelum topping the list as ‘safer’ cities.
Cities with the lowest amount of rape cases reported
Interestingly the study also shows judgments that listed the ‘character’ of the women who were raped.
How many cases were individual or gang rapes, with individual rapes being the most common type of rape in Punjab.
79 percent were individual rapes and 16 percent were gang rapes
The marital status of the women was also documented and most of the women who were raped were married when the incident took place.
41 percent of the rape victims were married women
More than half of the incidents that took place involved a man who knew the victim.
