Pakistan has always had a hard time trying to do right by every minority in the country. Demands for safety for so many marginalized communities have fallen on deaf ears. On top of all that, the women of this country are subjected to grotesque violence every single day. Upon asking for safety, they’re shunned, gaslighted, slut-shamed and violently suppressed. Lip service is paid by politicians across the board for women’s safety measures yet nothing actually happens. One shocking incident has caused massive distress all across Pakistan since last evening.
*TRIGGER WARNING: Sexual Violence*
On Tuesday night, a woman was reported to have been gang raped in front of her children on Lahore-Sialkot motorway
According to reports, the woman was traveling with her children from Lahore to Gujranwala when her car stalled after crossing the toll plaza on the Lahore-Sialkot motorway. The reason for the stalling is said to be either fuel shortage or a fault. She was said to be waiting for help after having contacted her relatives who told her to inform the motorway police until the family is able to reach out to her. It is also being said that the women tried to reach out to the motorway police who in response informed her she could not be provided help as the emergency beat had not been assigned to anyone.
When her relatives reached her she was found terrified, on the road, with her clothes stained with blood.
The police claim that two rapists reached the woman before she was able to make contact with the police and broke the car’s window and dragged the lady and her children out of the car to later rape her in the fields nearby, in front of her children. It is also being said that the men took away an amount equivalent to PKR 100,000/-, jewelry, and ATM cards from her before running away.
People across Pakistan are shocked, they can’t even imagine the pain and trauma that the woman and her children have been through
https://twitter.com/smjq_official/status/1303775343044636674
Demands are being made for action by the Federal Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari to show some actual response for a change
So many angry Pakistanis are demanding public hanging of the rapists
This shocking incident is literally all anyone has been able to talk about on Pakistani social media ever since it came to light.
Capital punishment was suggested as the ultimate solution to the predicament in which the women of this country find themselves in
A lot of them also raised questions over the security arrangements guaranteed by the law enforcement agencies
Soon after the matter caught the attention of the authorities, Chief Minister Punjab, Usman Buzdar, took serious notice of the incident
He ordered the relevant authorities to investigate the matter and instructed them to arrest the culprits as soon as possible. He said that he hopes that justice will be served to the victim.
Authorities have claimed that an FIR regarding the gang rape and robbery has already been registered as a result of the complaint filed by the relative of the woman. They have said, the investigation is under process and they’ve identified the village of the alleged rapists, they are also claiming to have arrested 12 suspects for investigation.
While authorities have sprung into action, women are just shocked at the continued lack of safety they have to live with and the continued dismissal of their valid demands
It is time for men of this country to step up, claim responsibility for allowing a culture of violence and oppression against women to fester with casual misogyny, lack of acknowledgment of culpability and not understanding the very valid concerns consistently being raised by women for years, through important platforms like Aurat March. Certainly, laws regarding the protection of women need to be overhauled and strict implementation should be ensured to eliminate incidents like these but what’s most needed is for men to take responsibility for their actions.
