Rape and justice, Daily Times February 02, 2015
A
large number of people jammed a highway near Nasirabad in protest against the
gang rape of a nomad woman allegedly by three policemen the other day. The rape
victim was collecting firewood near the highway when three policemen forcibly
took her away in a vehicle and gang raped her. The protestors claimed that
police personnel of the area are involved in many other criminal activities,
including sexual assault. This act of sheer brutality is not a new one. The
occurrence of violence against women is widespread in Pakistan. The Human
Rights Commission of Pakistan estimates that a rape occurs in Pakistan every
two hours and a gang rape every eight hours. The real statistics are even more
chilling as most cases go unreported.
Many
victims are shamed into silence for fear of being ostracised by society and
they never go to the authorities to seek justice. If women muster up the
courage to knock at the doors of justice, they the victims end up being blamed
for inciting the violence against them. Society thus sprinkles salt on their
wounds. In 95 percent cases, rapists remain at large and if police do manage to
arrest them, they walk free with minimal punishment whereas the victims are
left with lifelong humiliation, shame and social opprobrium. It is precisely because
very few rape cases lead to conviction that the law fails to provide effective
deterrence. When the law enforcers break the law themselves, the frustrated
citizens of the country will finally be left with no option but to take the law
into their own hands. The inability to get justice is why we see incidents of
victims attempting public self-immolation or using other means to commit
suicide. Justice has to be the cornerstone of every society. Denial of basic
rights induces a sense of deprivation, which ultimately leads to frustration.
If there is no implementation of the law, this is an invitation to social
chaos.
There
is a need to improve the system of administration of justice. We must revamp
our law enforcing institutions. Accusers must be taken seriously and claims
investigated aggressively. Rape is a savage and cruel act. It is time to weed
out the rapists from our society. It is time to end the culture of silence and
cover-up. More broadly, we must work on changing a culture in which women are
routinely devalued. Speedy convictions and awareness campaigns is the answer to
the problem. This is an issue that should be addressed at state level to reduce
the barbarity perpetrated against women in all corners of Pakistan. Women
should no longer see themselves as victims, but as survivors, no matter what
their ordeal.*
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