Tag: violence

  • Suspect arrested for harassing Srha Asghar released on bail due to non-cooperation of complainant

    Suspect arrested for harassing Srha Asghar released on bail due to non-cooperation of complainant

    Update: According to the police, the man who was arrested for harassing actress Srha Asghar has walked free while the FIR against him will be dismissed due to non-cooperation of the complainant.

    Geo News reports that Inspector Javed Babar has said that when the harasser was produced in court on Friday, he denied the allegations. The actress was summoned to appear in court by the female judge, but she didnt arrive, nor was any evidence of the incident produced.

    “Even the clothes torn during the incident or eyewitnesses of the incident requested by the police and the court were not produced,” he said.

    TRIGGER WARNING: discussion of harassment

    In a horrifying case, actress Srha Asghar reportedly filed a First Information Report (FIR) against a man, Asim, when he allegedly tried sexually assaulting her outside her home in Karachi. The FIR was registered at Shah Faisal Police Station on the complaint of Srha’s husband, Umar Murtaza.

    According to Police officials, the incident took place in August when the actress left her house to go to the nearby market to get groceries. A man kept following her back home and cat-called her. Asghar’s statement further revealed the man tried groping her which resulted in her clothes getting torn.

    The actress then rung the doorbell after which her husband came outside, which led to a fight between him and the assaulter. After which, the assaulter was taken to the police station by Umar and their neighbors.

    Srha and her husband have refused to give comments to media, but the actress did post a note on her Instagram stories where she slammed media organisations for including personal information on their news to get ratings, telling them to stop calling her:

    “I want every media person to stop messaging me about the incident, shame on them for calling me and my husband continuously for an interview for your ratings! And shame on the news channel who attached all the personal info with the incident! We ae safe Alhumdulillah!”

  • TW: Father beats daughter with metal bar for wearing makeup to school in UK, daughter saves him from jail sentence

    TW: Father beats daughter with metal bar for wearing makeup to school in UK, daughter saves him from jail sentence

    Hussein Alinzi, 59, was arrested in the United Kingdom last year on charges of battering his 15-year-old daughter on the morning she was to take a GCSE English exam.

    Alinzi accused his daughter of deceiving him to secretly meet a boy, and of wearing makeup. The girl has reportedly put on makeup to hide the bruises the father inflicted on her the night before.

    Alinzi was charged with beating his daughter with a metal bar right up to the point where she lost consciousness. However, she later tried to sit for the exam but was immediately taken to the A&E after she complained of dizziness and nauseau.

    The teenager reported to her teachers and the police that her father subjected her, on numerous occasions, to beatings and threats, reportedly saying, “I will run you over”, “I will kill you,” and “I hope you die.”

    Medics reported there were 14 injuries on the girl’s body along with a bite mark on her left temple.

    However, Alinzi, who works as a delivery driver, has avoided jail time after an eight month prison sentence was suspended for 18 months after the girl gave an emotional plea in court. He is also required to complete 80 hours of unpaid work and 25 days of rehabilitation activity days.

    “I initially didn’t want to provide a statement or evidence as I did not want to cause further pain to my family,” the girl said in a statement.

    “When my father was arrested, I felt safe that he was not here, but sad that he was not home.”

    ”My Mum struggles to look after my younger brother and I felt guilty that I bought shame on my family. I love my Dad and I can see that his attitude has now changed. This has made me realise how people can actually change.

    ”Since he has not been living with us, I have become more independent. My brother needs to live with his Dad, and he needs him back.

    “I actually feel happy as all this has changed him, it has made him realise what can and can’t do.”

    During the sentencing, Judge Mr Recorder Peter Wright KC spoke to Alinzi, reminding him to be kinder towards his children:

    “You’re the father of a big family of which there ought to be pride rather than shame, but that shame has been bought on your family by your conduct.

    “You have not behaved like a father should to his children, you behaved like a monster to them.

    “She should have been expected to be loved and protected by you, not assaulted and abused. She lived her life in fear of you, enduring your physical conduct towards her. You are a bully, and what you did was not protecting your child.

    “Your conduct was unforgivable and indicates your will for a combination of fear and violence. This is not acceptable, it is inexcusable and shameful.

    “She is now left with the emotional scar of now being the cause of you becoming separated from the family. This is a feeling that is natural for a child, but she is blameless.”

  • Alarming surge in violence against women in Punjab with Lahore at top

    A staggering surge has been witnessed in violence against women, with over 10,000 cases reported in the first four months of 2023 alone in Punjab.

    Startling data from the Sustainable Social Development Organisation (SSDO), a research-based advocacy firm, reveals that 5,551 women were kidnapped during this period, translating to an alarming average of two women abducted every hour.

    SSDO, through a ‘Right to Information’ request to the Punjab Police under Article 19-A of the Constitution, collected the data, reflecting an urgent need for policymakers and stakeholders to address the issue and devise targeted measures to combat this growing crisis.

    The report revealed that between January 1, 2023, and April 30, 2023, Punjab police registered a total of 10,365 cases of violence against women, alongside 1,768 cases of violence against children. However, the actual numbers may be considerably higher as many incidents go unreported due to social stigma and a lack of trust in law enforcement.

    Lahore took the lead with 1,427 reported cases of violence, with one out of every four victims being kidnapped from the provincial capital. Other concerning statistics include 2,818 cases of physical assault, with Lahore as the primary hotspot (504), followed by Sheikhupura (262) and Faisalabad (225).

    Additionally, 1,111 cases of rape and 613 cases of human trafficking were documented, with Lahore again topping the list with 139 rape cases and 210 trafficking cases. Faisalabad reported a significant number of rape cases at 117.

  • School-girl tortured, gang-raped by four men in Islamabad

    School-girl tortured, gang-raped by four men in Islamabad

    A 17 year old schoolgirl in Islamabad was gang-raped by four boys who kidnapped her while she was on her way to school in Sector E-9. The police have arrested three of the four suspects: Atish, Junaid Ansar and Afad Malik while Hassan Shakeel is still at large.

    According to The News, the child’s mother told the police that the girl left for school at 8 o’ clock in the morning when she met a friend of her brother, Atish, waiting for her near the school. Atish kidnapped her by lying to her about an emergency. The boy then took her to village Matiari where three of his friends- Junaid Ansar, Afad Malik and Hassan Shakeel- tortured her. Then, they put a gun to her head, threatening to kill her if she cried or screamed while she was being raped.

    The police has registered a First information report (FIR) under Section 375-A and said that they are hunting down Hassan Shakeel, promising to trace him within 24 hours.

  • Police arrest four suspects involved in allegedly raping, parading women naked in India

    Police arrest four suspects involved in allegedly raping, parading women naked in India

    Police on Friday have taken four individuals into custody in connection with a distressing incident where two women were paraded naked in front of a mob in the northeastern state of Manipur in India.

    Local police confirmed the arrest of the four main accused, as announced on their official Twitter account.

    The action has been taken after over two months of the incident happening in the troubled district. Public outrage exerted pressure on the state government, led by the Hindu-nationalist Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), and four culprits were apprehended.

    The suspects came to light after a video of the incident surfaced on social media in early May, garnering nationwide outrage. The video depicted the women being subjected to humiliation and harassment by a jeering mob while walking naked along a street in the state.

    The country’s Supreme Court took notice of the horrifying incident and issued a warning to Modi’s government, urging immediate action, with the implication that the court would intervene if necessary.

    Prime Minister Narendra Modi finally broke his silence on the matter, after facing harsh criticism by lawmakers and public. He said that the country was “shamed” by the incident.

    The incident occurred against the backdrop of months of ethnic violence that has resulted in at least 120 fatalities. The situation has been further exacerbated by the imposition of an internet shutdown by the Indian authorities in the area.

  • TW: Brother confesses to murder of three young sisters by decapitation, says did it because of mental stress

    TW: Brother confesses to murder of three young sisters by decapitation, says did it because of mental stress

    On Monday, three young girls were found dead in their house in Muzaffargarh district, Punjab. They were first reported missing when during the evening 11-year-old Areesha went out to search for her sisters, Fatima, 7, and Zahrah, 8, after they didn’t come back home. Areesha then didn’t return herself.
    The family reported the missing girls to the police, who found the girls’ decapitated bodies in a deserted government quarter located in the same colony.

    Punjab Inspector General of Police, Dr Usman Anwar, announced that the police was taking immediate action to arrest the ones responsible.

    According to the District Police Officer Hasnain Haider, the police have arrested the three elder brothers of the slain sisters for being the perpetuators of the crime. One of the brothers, Basit, has confessed to the killing, saying that he had taken the girls to an empty house where he slaughtered them.

    Basit cited his mental health as the motivation behind the grisly murders, as Haider revealed to the media that the killer was under stress to repay loans that he had taken from some people.

    According to news sources, the police revealed they had recovered the murder weapon, a long knife, from the killer.

    The DPO further told a news channel that police were interrogating the entire family.

  • Iranian students harassed, given disciplinary hearings for refusing to wear hijab at university

    Iranian students harassed, given disciplinary hearings for refusing to wear hijab at university

    As women across Iran continue to protest against strict hijab laws, universities have taken stringent measures by suspending and initiating violent crackdowns against female students to suppress the uprisings, The Guardian has reported.

    More women have posted video recordings of themselves dancing or walking without the hijab, while several students spoke to the publication to reveal that at least 60 students have been banned from their university, called at disciplinary committee hearings and harassed on campus for not wearing the hijab.

    According to the Student Council of Iranian Universities, at least 40 female students have been conditionally suspended from their campuses for failing to follow the hijab rule. While The Human Rights Activists (THRA) in Iran reported that at least 64 students have been suspended and three expelled.

    Nine suspended activists told the publication that arrests of young women are on the rise, and they were warned of serious consequences if they did not adhere to the mandatory policy of wearing their hijab.

    “We’re being mass banned from the campus for refusing to wear a hijab, and in the past few days there has been a violent crackdown on us for peacefully sitting in protest,” said a student who was studying in a university in Tehran. She further revealed that security officials had violently thrown women out of classrooms.

    Another anonymous student from Mashhad spoke about her suspension for protesting on the 40th day of Mahsa Amini’s death:

    “I have been slapped with repeated temporary suspensions for protesting on the 40th day of Mahsa Amini’s death. Considering that I will be suspended again next semester, I will fall behind a whole year. I dream of studying abroad, but unfortunately, given the current situation, my future is dark.”

    Another student’s account revealed that sharing social media posts related to Mahsa Amini’s death could have severe consequences leading to being suspended and failing their courses, as violent crackdowns continue to rise in Iran.

    “Three days after I shared a post about death sentences, the university security team confiscated my phone after raiding our residence hall,” spoke a student from Tehran. “They also collected protest posters or anything related to the ongoing revolution and warned us of worse consequences.

    “I doubt the officers barging into our dormitories are from the university’s security team. I’ve never seen them before. The next day, I was temporarily suspended along with three of my friends.”

    Another student in Tehran revealed: “The university administration is acting like an extended arm of the Islamic Republic. I was preparing my applications for a master’s in the EU, but I fear I’ll neither receive a recommendation letter, nor will I receive the relevant grades necessary for my application. I’ve been warned by my university’s administration that I’ll get zero grades if I don’t apologise and retract my social media posts in support of the revolution.”

    Professors who support the protests have also been violently attacked or expelled from campuses.

    The protests in Iran began in September 2022 after the brutal death of 22 year old Mahsa Amini, who was severely beaten by Guidance Patrol officers for refusing to wear a hjijab. She later passed away in a hospital from her injuries. Since then, nation wide protests began through out Iran as the slogan ‘Zen, Zendagi, Azaadi’ was adapted as a protest against human rights violations committed by the Iranian government.

  • Ban against corporal punishment enforced in Islamabad

    On Thursday, the federal government of Pakistan introduced rules to enforce the ‘Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Act, 2021’ throughout the capital city and territories, banning corporal punishment in public and private schools.

    According to Dawn, the law was passed three years ago, however the rules were updated a couple of months ago and the act was finally launched on Thursday.

    According to the act, teachers who are found guilty of inflicting violence on students will be punished through major penalities like compulsory retirement, dismissal from service or demotion to a lower post. Minor penalties include withholding promotion for a specific period or increment or financial advancement in accordance with the rules or orders pertaining to the service or post.

    The law states:

    “The child has the right to be shown respect for his personality and individuality and shall not be made subject to corporal punishment or any other humiliating or degrading treatment.”

    Speaking at the launch at the Islamabad Model College for Girls in F-10/2, the Minister of Federal Education Rana Tanveer Hussain praised the act as a shift towards fostering a culture of non-violence and empowering the rights of children:

    “Let us work together to implement these rules effectively and create an environment where every child feels safe and nurtured.”

    Convener of the Parliamentary Caucus on Child Rights and Parliamentary Secretary Law and Justice, Mehnaz Akber Aziz, who was also present at the ceremony, discussed the significance of the rules towards improving the lives of children:

    “The launch of the Prohibition of Corporal Punishment Rules is a testament to our commitment to ensuring children’s well-being and upholding their rights. These rules will provide clear guidelines and enforce strict measures to eradicate corporal punishment from educational institutions and child-related settings throughout Islamabad. I hope this will also incentivise the currently 2.4 million out-of-school children to head to schools.”

    United Nations International Children’s Fund (UNICEF) Representative Abdullah A. Fadil spoke on why corporal punishment must be outlawed in Pakistan:

    “Corporal punishment can inflict immediate pain and suffering, and sadly may also cause irrevocable damage that can last a lifetime. We need to act now and put all our weight behind this act so that all children in Pakistan are able to learn and grow in a safe environment and are protected in a society which respects and upholds their rights and dignity.”

  • US urges India to condemn religious violence

    US urges India to condemn religious violence

    The State Department of the United States on Monday released an annual report on religious freedom which listed attacks against religious minorities including Muslims and Christians in India, AFP has reported.

    According to the State Department study, Muslims in Gujarat have had their homes demolished and have been publicly flogged by police after being accused of hurting Hindus. The department collected this information from both direct research and reports from media and advocacy groups.

    “Regarding these concerns, we’re continuing to encourage the government to condemn violence and hold accountable (those) who engage in rhetoric that’s dehumanizing towards religious minorities,” a senior US official said while talking to AFP.
    The official said they will talk directly to Indian officials. “We’ll continue to work very closely with our civil society colleagues on the ground (and) with courageous journalists that are working every day to document some of these abuses.”

  • Pakistani teens need to understand that bullying, violence isn’t cool

    Pakistani teens need to understand that bullying, violence isn’t cool

    A 35-member violent gang of boys enrolled in different private schools in Lahore is operating in the city under the name ‘102’. According to the police, one of the gang members reportedly tortured a young boy in a snooker club, taped the assault and uploaded the video on social media. This is not the first time we are hearing about teenagers in private schools indulging in bullying and harassing other young students. Last month, a video surfaced where three girls were forcing their classmate to the ground and then sitting on her back. One of the girls could be seen pulling the victim’s hair and swearing at her while making her apologise.

    These incidents are triggering, but what is more alarming is to witness the behaviour of these teenagers. What is it that they are learning? Why are these kids indulging in violence? How are parents so unaware of their kids’ whereabouts and what are they doing? What is even more concerning is how these kids have normalised bullying, harassment and violence.

    Parents need to teach their children what is right and wrong. They need to be extra vigilant to know what their children are consuming online. Teenagers, too, need to realise that if they are given freedom, it doesn’t mean they can hurt others in the name of being cool and resort to violence. Nothing justifies violence and bullying. The schools where such children are studying also need to be vigilant and watchful of how students are treating each other.

    With every passing day, violence is increasing in children. Have we ever wondered what are the reasons for this increase in violence? Maybe it’s the content children are consuming online or maybe violent video games that they play makes violence just another act of being cool to them.

    We have seen how gun culture is prevailing and how children are taking lives of their own peers. Actions have consequences. Parents, teachers and elders need to be careful and watchful towards their young children. These young minds need to be protected and taken care of. Negligence and ignorance can lead to serious problems as the kids grow up. What we are witnessing with the behaviour of these young children is rather an appalling sight. We hope our children do better and learn better. This evilness, and unkind behaviour needs to stop.