Tag: rape

  • Bill Cosby accused of sexual assault by 9 more women

    Bill Cosby accused of sexual assault by 9 more women

    Disgraced Hollywood star Bill Cosby has been accused of sexual assault by nine more women, according to a lawsuit filed in Nevada. Al-Jazeera reports that the women claimed they were drugged and assaulted by ‘The Cosby Show’ star between the years 1979 and 1992.

    According to the complaint filed in the US District Court of Nevada, the survivors were attacked in dressing rooms, hotels and in Cosby’s various homes. The suit demanded the former star pay damages for sexual assault and battery.

    The lawsuit has arrived after Nevada changed its law regarding the statue of limitations for adult survivors of sexual abuse to pursue civil cases.

    The law had previously given survivors a two-year window to file civil charges. But on June 2, Governor Joe Lombardo signed a bill “Justice for Victims of Crime”- which was met with praise from survivors of sexual assault and rape.

    “For years, I have fought for survivors of sexual assault, and today is the first time I will be able to fight for myself,” said Lise-Lotte Lublin, a school teacher and former model who has long pushed for statutes of limitations to be broadened in sexual violence cases.

    Lublin had initially filed a case against Cosby in 2014, alleging that the former comedian had summoned her to his hotel in 1989 to learn acting techniques. She recalled Cosby giving her spiked alcohol to “help her relax”. Lubin revealed she quickly lost consciousness, only reawakening in her own bed later on, not knowing how she got there.

    More than 60 women had accused Cosby in 2018 in Pennsylvania of sexual assault and rape through the inclusion of drugs, and he was convicted for drugging and assaulting Andrea Constand in 2014. However, in 2021 the Pennsylvanian Supreme Court overturned this suit, citing the fact that the former star was denied protection against self-incrimination.

    The court had stated that Cosby had been denied his “due process rights” when the prosecuters had ensured him that he won’t be charged if he confessed during the testament. When he revealed that he gave women quaaludes during sex, it became the key testimony during the criminal case that was overturned.

    Cosby’s spokesperson, Andrew Wyatt, released a statement where he accused the women who filed a suit against Cosby of being motivated by their “addiction to massive amounts of media attention and greed.”

    “From this day forward, we will not continue to allow these women to parade various accounts … against Mr. Cosby anymore without vetting them in the court of public opinion and inside of the courtroom,”  Wyatt responded in a statement.

  • Eight cases of rape reported in Lahore in last 48 hours

    Eight cases of rape reported in Lahore in last 48 hours

    Eight cases of rape have been registered in Lahore in last 48 hours, Dawn has reported.

    A housemaid was raped in Defence Lahore, after being promised a job against an attractive salary package. The woman got pregnant after the rape, leading to her husband kicking her out of the house.

    In a separate incident, a man kidnapped a 14-year-old girl from Muzaffargarh, took her to Lahore, and raped her.

    One woman was gang raped in Quaid-e-Azam Industrial area, another was raped in Sabzazar.

    Another woman was allegedly raped in Green Town area of Lahore.

    As per the details, the suspects involved in rape incidents also take money from the the survivors by blackmailing them.
    Last year in June, Punjab government declared a rape emergency in the province, following an increase in rape and sodomy cases in the province.

  • No, divorces are not rising because of Aurat March, but because women are recognising their right to live

    On Saturday, actress Nazish Jahangir set social media ablaze when during a podcast with controversial YouTuber Nadir Ali, the model turned actor claimed that she did not identify as a feminist, because apparently “not all crying women are truthful.”

     “…l believe in equality, and I still confidently say that not all crying women are truthful. I am always standing with the right person whether it is a woman or a man.”

    The abysmal part of this conversation begun when Nazish Jahangir went on to address Aurat March, saying that the movement is responsible for the rise of divorces in the country, adding that it was not a solution to any problem:

    “I don’t believe in these Aurat Marches. It’s not benefiting the women for whom we are fighting. They are not reaching the women they’re standing up for. Such poor women would be sitting in villages and making food while they chant slogans on the streets here. I think these fake feminist movements will never get you justice,”

    “I wonder who they are protesting for then. Are they protesting for us? Because our league knows everything about it. We know our rights and we know the value of equality. The ratio of khula has also increased after these marches,” The ‘Thays’ actor claimed. “I’m not asking women to bear cruelties or abuse. They can leave their houses if they like but at least give it a shot. Our parents are the biggest example of sacrificing and surviving relationships with patience and love. Because now women are getting divorced only after one month.”

    Yes this is a deeply messed up argument, there is a lot to unpack and a lot of myths to dissect which are once more churning up harmful stereotypes towards organisations working for women’s rights. Perhaps the worst statement was about Aurat March encouraging divorces in Pakistan. A sweeping statement Jahangir gave without any proof that it is true.

    In reality, Aurat March is not the reason why women are choosing divorce Aurat March is the solution to a long term issue: the limited support and neglect shown towards women in a patriarchal society that demands that everything be sacrificed for the sake of a marriage.

    Since Ms Jahangir is from the acting profession, and our dramas claim to know best about what women should want from a marriage, can we all collectively recall one drama that has portrayed a healthy marriage? Can we say that ‘Tere Bin’, which features a man stalking and slapping his wife was what women should look up to in order to understand how to keep their marriages intact?

    Furthermore, if Ms Jahangir is claiming that women who break away from their marriages do not understand sacrifice and hard work because Aurat March tells them to be less tolerant, then she needs to be aware that more women in Pakistan have died trying to stay married. Sara Inam was murdered by her husband in Islamabad after three months of marriage, was the murder her own fault? Qandeel Baloch‘s murderer, her brother, was pardoned by the court despite confessing his crime to authorities, only because his parents pardoned him. Just five days ago, another man walked free from a court in Karachi after murdering his daughter, because he was once again pardoned by his family. Another man in Lahore murdered his wife and then sent her body back to her family via a rickshaw.

    All these nameless women, the countless ways they were let down by the law and society in Pakistan. How is that we know about them, Ms Jahangir? It’s definitely not because of the family system, which continues to hide predators, and pardon them after unforgivable crimes. This heroic act solely belongs to Aurat March, which has time and time again raised placcards for countless women you claim it does not protect.

    You claim to say that Aurat March cannot help the women in villages because they’re too busy shouting slogans, but it is through Aurat March that we know these women’s names. Working class women like Dua Zehra, whose parents couldn’t make an announcement at a mosque because she was a Shia, and who was slammed by media organisatons, who claimed she had disohonored her family. It was local activists who pressurised authorities to take child abduction seriously, helping her come back home.

    Claiming that you’re unaware about a topic is one thing, but making sweeping generalisations about women’s rights, especially during a time when laws seek to further restrict women’s access to escaping abusive marriages, and more feminist activists are being trolled onine, it is incredibly disheartening to see a public figure as yourself talking without properly fact checking yourself.

    If you are still confused about how to be a well informed and articulate public figure, then take an example from Ayesha Omar and Kiran Malik, who carefully broke down why watching the rise in divorce rates is a good sign that more women are learning to stand up for themselves and escape their abusive marriages.

  • Rapist manages to escape after assaulting minor girl in Islamabad

    Rapist manages to escape after assaulting minor girl in Islamabad

    A man sexually assaulted an eight-year-old Afghan girl in Islamabad’s Shahzad Town area, managing to escape after the heinous crime despite the presence of neighborhood residents.

    As per initial reports, the suspect escaped in the presence of Mohalla Diprian residents. The minor victim was shifted to a hospital where a medico-legal official confirmed the rape.

    A case was registered against the unidentified rapist under sections 376 and 377/B of the Pakistan Penal Code on the complaint of the victim’s father.

    The victim told her family that she was playing near her house when a stranger dragged her to an under-construction building and sexually abused her.

    Police have constituted teams to find the suspect.

  • Armie Hammer won’t be charged over sexual assault allegations

    Armie Hammer, who rose to fame with ‘Call Me By Your Name’ and left Hollywood after accusations of sexual assault, will not be charged, Los Angeles District Attorney has confirmed.

    Hammer was accused of rape and sexual abuse by several women, with screenshots of graphic messages from the actor shared by the accusers. The actor has texted women “I am 100% a cannibal” and “I want to eat you.” The LAPD had announced that they were launching an official investigation on the former ‘The Social Network’ actor.

    On Wednesday, a representative from the District Attorney’s Office said in a statement that there was insufficient evidence to charge Hammer with a crime, due to the complex relationship between him and the woman:

    “In this case, those prosecutors conducted an extremely thorough review, but determined that at this time, there is insufficient evidence to charge Mr Hammer with a crime,” the statement read. “As prosecutors, we have an ethical responsibility to only charge cases that we can prove beyond a reasonable doubt … Due to the complexity of the relationship and inability to prove a non-consensual, forcible sexual encounter, we are unable to prove the case beyond a reasonable doubt.”

    The woman, who went by the anonymous name House Of Effie on Instgram, had filed a case in 2021, claiming that Hammer had raped her in 2017, and had repeatedly slammed her head against the wall, bruising her face.

    “During those four hours, I tried to get away, but he wouldn’t let me,” the woman said at the news conference. “I thought that he was going to kill me. He then left with no concern for my well-being.”

    Effie has released a statement on Instagram addressing the announcement, revealing that it “cost me a great deal to have spoken out and filed a report against Armie’s abuse.”

    “I felt a duty to speak out and file a report in order to try and hold Armie accountable for all the harm and trauma he had caused me and to protect other women from experiencing similar abuse. It has cost me a great deal to have spoken out and filed a report against Armie’s abuse. Since I came forward, I have received death threats, rape threats, incessant harassment. Many of Armie’s victims were afraid to come forward. My hope is that one day, rapists won’t get away with it.”

    In 2022, a documentary called ‘The House Of Hammer’ was released on Discovery + which detailed the investigation of emotional and physical abuse the ‘Rebecca’ actor had inflicted over women, as well as an interview with his aunt, Casey, who had written a memoir about her family ‘Surviving My Birthright’, detailing the abuse and greed of the Hammer family.

  • Fact Check: Did Pakistani parents lock daughter’s grave to prevent rape?

    Fact Check: Did Pakistani parents lock daughter’s grave to prevent rape?

    Claim

    Last week, a photo of a padlocked grave with a metal grate was being widely shared on social media and in news reports. It was being reported that the grave was in Pakistan and was the result of purported increase in necrophilia cases. The claim suggests that the grave is an illustration of how Pakistani mothers use locks to secure the graves of their daughters and protect the corpse from being raped.

    Indian media outlets also carried the story.

    .

    Fact

    Indian fact-checker Mohammed Zubair has said that the photo is, in fact, from Hyderabad city in India. “The image used by the media outlets was actually from a cemetery in Hyderabad. The cemetery is located opposite Masjid E Salar Mulk, a mosque in Darab Jung Colony, Madannapet, Hyderabad,” read the fact check piece written by Mohammed Zubair and Shinjine Majumder.

    “Alt News also spoke to a local resident whose house is near the mosque. He informed us that the grave belonged to an aged woman who had passed away in her seventies. Her son constructed the grille over the grave about 40 days after she had been buried.”

    The grill and padlock was installed to stop the grave from being reopened to put a fresh corpse inside.

    Several indian media outlets picked up the story while crediting Twitter for the image. The picture ANI picked up was tweeted by author Harris Sultan. He has now deleted the tweet.

    The EU DisinfoLab in a report published this year said that ANI repeatedly quotes non-existent bloggers, experts, journalists and think tanks spreading anti-Pakistan/China narratives in India.

    Verdict

    The claim is false.

  • Pakistan is the cradle of rape culture and sexism: are you surprised?

    Pakistan is the cradle of rape culture and sexism: are you surprised?

    The shocking rape of a 14-year-old girl, who was allegedly raped by her father and brother, has once again proven that there is no safe space for women in Pakistan. The girl, a resident of Azad Kashmir, was taken to a hospital by her mother after she complained of stomachache. Doctors discovered that the girl was pregnant and about to give birth. Investigation revealed that the victim’s brother and father raped her several times during the last few months. The DNA of the baby she birthed matches that of her brother’s.  Imagine the horror and fear of the girl who was not safe in her own house and where her own father and brother were her rapists and tormentors.

    Pakistan has staggering statistics that expose the rape epidemic in the country. In October last year, almost 21,900 women were reported to have been raped in Pakistan from 2017 to 2021. This meant that approximately 12 women were raped every day, or one every two hours, throughout the country. According to media reports, approximately 350 rape instances were recorded in Punjab, between May 2022 and August 2022. The Current records the tally of rape cases that are reported in news outlets on a daily basis to highlight the alarming situation. And not a single day goes by when rape isn’t reported in any city but that too doesn’t represent the actual figures because not all rape cases are reported. It’s hard to imagine what the real figures must be. Women around the country are raped, abused, and harassed every day, enduring it incessantly because the state and society has failed to ensure their safety. Occasionally, a rape case emerges in the media that elicits particular fury and ignites massive protests, while exposing the culpability of our society; the cradle for rape culture, the breeding ground that lets rapists get away by promoting victim-blaming.

    Everything about this incident tells the the horrifying story of impunity with which Pakistani men commit crimes, without an ounce of remorse. And then there are men like Pakistan People’s Party’s (PPP) Nabil Gabol, who have the audacity to pass disgusting comments about rape. In a recent interview, Gabol casually remarked: “When rape is inevitable, just enjoy it.” How can one be so heartless to say such sickening words? Gabol’s words garnered massive backlash, and rightly so. Pakistanis were angry, and outraged at the politician’s lack of sensitivity. The PPP politician apologised for his remarks later, saying that he regretted if his words had hurt women. But then he went on to blame Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI) supporters for launching a social media campaign against him. After issuing an apology for his misogynistic remarks, Nabil Gabol decided to defend his statement with a screenshot of PTI Chairman Imran Khan’s interview with Time Magazine. Gabol wrote that Aurat March organisers or journalists had not called Khan out for his past problematic statements. Gabol further said if he lost weight and looked handsome like Khan, then the backlash wouldn’t have happened. This non-apology and attack on women who raise their voice for victims of abuse shows that Gabol only apologised because of the backlash on social media but didn’t mean it. As if his non-apology was not enough, Gabol’s son Nadir came out to defend his father’s thoughtlessness and said that his father had intended to say: “Pain is inevitable, suffering is optional.” It is shocking that even today men have the audacity to utter such nauseating words.

    And yet, we question and pass comments on the severity of the situation. To the hopelessness and rage that fills our hearts, may women find security, protectiveness and justice in this country. Will this ever stop, is a question we ask ourselves often. Our society and justice system have failed the women of Pakistan. It is because of these attitudes that Pakistan ranks as the second-worst country on the gender gap index. Are you surprised?

  • 14-year-old girl delivers baby after rape by brother, father, DNA of baby matches with brother

    14-year-old girl delivers baby after rape by brother, father, DNA of baby matches with brother

    Trigger Warning: Sexual violence

    A 14-year-old girl was allegedly raped by her father and brother, Humaira Kanwal reports for BBC Urdu.

    The girl, a resident of Azad Kashmir, was taken to hospital by her mother after she complained of stomach pain. Doctors discovered that the girl is pregnant and about to give birth. 

    The hospital staff decided to report the case to the police, but the girl delivered the baby before officers could arrive at the facility to record her statement. 

    Investigation has revealed that the victim has alleged that both her brother and father raped her several times during the last few months. The DNA of the baby she has birthed matches that of her brother’s. 

    While talking to the BBC, the investigation officer said that both the father and brother of the girl were arrested and after the completion of physical remand, they are now in jail on judicial remand. In statements given to the police, the brother and father have confessed to raping the girl.

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    TRIGGER WARNING- ‘If rape is imminent, then enjoy it’: PPP’s Nabil Gabol’s disgusting remarks once again get slammed on social media
    
			
    Trigger warning: rape jokes, kidnapping, assault, sexual harassment 
    

    Pakistan People’s Party (PPP) politician Nabil Gabol has proved that one can be a legislator in the highest offices and yet resort to making extremely offensive, misogynist jokes whenever they can.
    

    Twitter users have decried PPP for claiming that they are a progressive party, but providing important positions to men like Gabol who make misogynist and degrading comments about women on public platforms. A clip from a YouTube podcast, The Pakistan Experience with host Shehzad Ghias, is going viral on Twitter where Gabol was a guest and where he said: “When rape is imminent, then just enjoy it.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    To which activists like Soul Sister’s Founder Kanwal Ahmed responded with “Gross”.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Journalist Zebunnisa Burki shared the clip on her Twitter page and lamented the fact that men in powerful positions are never held accountable for talking about women in a vulgar manner like he has.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Founder of ‘Digital Rights Foundation’ and lawyer Nighat Dad criticized Gabol on her Twitter account for casually using rape as a punchline because of the way it malign’s the struggles of survivors of sexual violence, and especially called for politicians to be held accountable for their words because they hold positions of power and influence.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Dad also shared a clip from Gabol’s previous interview with Youtuber Nadir Ali which took place in 2022, where the politician was seen making sexually suggestive comments about women politicians.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    In the same interview, a user shared a clip of Gabol openly claiming that he kidnaps girls and takes them under his possession.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Recently, Gabol had given an interview to Nadir Ali, where a Twitter users shamed him for his sexual comments about the TikTok star Ayesha, and for asking for her number.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Writer and columnist Fatima Bhutto shared the clip from Gabol’s interview with Ghias, and in the caption she condemned his comments for exposing the ‘criminal mindset of the Sindh government.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    Bakhtawar Bhutto, the sister of PPP chairman Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari, condemned Gabol on Monday morning in a tweet.
    

    His (repulsive) rhetoric belongs to his individual only & is in noway a representation of our party. Incase it wasn’t already abundantly obvious- we absolutely & unequivocally stand for the rights & protection of women. Misogyny has no space in our religion nor our party.”
    

    

    


    

    

    

    However, users demanded that Gabol be removed from the party, calling the tweet a tone-deaf response to criticism.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    

    


    

    

    

    Minister of Climate Change Sherry Rehman has responded to the controversy in a tweet saying that strict action was underway.
    

    

    


    

    

    

    
			
    
		
    
		
	
  • 
		
		
    
			
			
    TRIGGER WARNING: Lodhran court sentences man to 25 years in prison for raping daughter
    
			
    A court in the Lodhran has sentenced a man to 25 years in prison and subjected to Rs 1,00,000 fine for torturing and raping his 15 year old daughter, as reported by Express Tribune.
    

    The rape case was filed by the survivor’s paternal aunt, Yasan, who revealed that she was suspicious when the father, Irshad, brought the girl to her house unconscious.
    

    The complainant told the police that after the girl woke up, she confessed to her aunt that her father had drugged and tortured her. When she and other witnesses approached Irshad, he confessed to the crime.
    

    The aunt urged the police to take strict action against the rapist.